You Know You Love Me
by Vulpes V. Sapiens
Summary: Five little words that have the potential to change the course of a friendship and fan the flames of unrealized desire. Picking up where the movie leaves off, follow Nick and Judy as they explore how deep their feelings truly run, and how messy real life can be. (WildeHopps. Extremely fluffy. Mild suggestive themes. My first fic so reviews are greatly appreciated! Updates Fridays)
1. Chapter 1: You Know You Love Me

_**Come, friends, and let us read way too much into a 20 second excerpt of a Disney movie about talking animals.**_

 _ **Let us be honest though, Is it REALLY too much?**_

 _ **No, no it is not.**_

 _ **One-shot (possibly more?) delving into the final moment that well and truly launched the good ship WildeHopps.**_

 _ **This is my first submission ever, so any comments, reviews, PMs, and chocolates are all welcome. Chocolates are especially welcome. I prefer dark, but I'm not too picky; if you bring chocolate, I will be your friend.**_

 ** _update: cover art added, with permission of the artist, Imanika, who can be found on Deviantart. Big shout out to her for letting me use her wonderful work!_**

 _ **Incoming fluff!**_

* * *

 **You Know You Love Me**

"So are all rabbits bad drivers, or is it just you?" Nick teased, waving his pawpsicle around and casting a sly glance at the bunny on his left, her smile faltering and one eyebrow tilting up, betraying her annoyance at the jibe. All morning Judy had been driving well below the speed limit, much to the chagrin of both the fox and several impatient drivers behind them.

Nick grinned inwardly, seeing her starting to get riled up, and went to give his pawpsicle a lick while thinking up another quip to make at his partner's expense – something about how they would never catch a street racer while she was driving like she was still behind the wheel of her three-wheeled joke mobile – when there was a screech of tires and he was suddenly flung forwards, his face connecting with the frozen treat in his paw.

"Oops, sorry…" came a sweet but completely unapologetic voice to his left. And was that a hint of smugness he detected as well? Staring ahead, pawpsicle glued over his eye like a diabetic pirate's eyepatch, they both knew she had one-upped him. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of pride at his partner's quick wit and cool nerves – qualities that only seemed to have blossomed the more time she had spent around the ex-hustler. She had learned from the best, and it was becoming harder and harder to get to her.

"Heh heh, sly bunny!" he quipped while carefully extracting the frozen treat from his face.

"Dumb Fox!" came the expected reply, causing him to grin.

He wasn't about to admit defeat though, a wicked thought entering his mind as he leaned in and in a sultry voice murmured across to her, "You know you love me."

The doe's brow knit together in consternation, but there was something unreadable in her expression as she tilted her head to the side and, in a thoughtful tone, asked the universe, "Do I know that?"

An unexpected and frightening pang of uncertainty hit the fox, his eyebrows shooting up and his smile faltering as she seemed to take an age to contemplate her own question. He had hoped to get an emotional response out of the bunny, but once again she had turned the tables on him, perhaps without even intending to.

 _'She DOES love me... Right?'_ came an uncharacteristically naive voice from somewhere in the back of his mind. He suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable, but before he could put his walls back up and lock down the offending part of his psyche that let slip such a compromising question, she leaned in close and whispered her response.

"Yes, yes I do."

The half-built walls came crashing down once more, and a flood of relief and indescribable warmth hit him, amplified and reflected back in the pools of violet light that were gazing tenderly into his eyes. He felt drawn into Judy's gaze and instinctively leaned closer to her, a genuine unguarded smile on his face as he took in the sight of his partner; his best friend who had thrust herself into his life just a few months ago and turned his whole world upside down, brought down all his walls and made him realize that he could be more than just a fox. And here he was, his first day on the job as an officer of the law, and he had her to thank for everything.

The gaze lingered between the two of them a little longer than intended, not that Nick minded. He couldn't get enough of looking at her - how innocent, cute, determined and resourceful she was. _'And beautiful.'_ He inwardly winced as he fended off that thought. _'Not appropriate. We are friends. Great friends. BEST friends.'_

He wasn't sure who broke eye-contact first, but he found himself letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he turned to face forward once more, unaware of the dopey grin on his face as he continued to ruminate on his thoughts. It did not help that a pleasingly sweet and suspiciously rabbit-like aroma had started to permeate the car, and as he breathed in the intoxicating scent, it quickly acted on him by pushing more images of the petite lapine into his mind.

 _'Ok, yes she is beautiful.'_ He inwardly admitted, currently unaware of the influence being exerted on him, _'But she's also a bunny. A beautiful bunny. I mean, not that it has anything to do with her species. She's a beautiful mammal. Maybe the most beautiful mammal I have ever…'_

 _ZROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM._

Nick's mind went blank as his heart nearly jumped straight out of his chest, through the windshield and right across the road. His pulse already racing to catch up with the metallic blur which had shot across their path, the fox turned to look at his partner with a knowing grin and flicked open his sunglasses before placing them on his snout. They had found their street racer.

* * *

Judy had been looking forward to today for months. Ever since Nick had been accepted into the academy she had been dreaming about what their days would be like once he graduated. The cases they would solve, the criminals they would catch, and even how they might while away the hours on long uneventful patrols. Though usually quite innocent, her imagination would occasionally run a little wild with that last one, leaving her blushing and reminding herself that they were just friends.

Well, not _just_ friends. The camaraderie between the two had only grown since the Nighthowler incident and she hadn't been the least bit shy about declaring him to be her "Best friend in all of Zootopia and the Tri-burrows!" to a crowded bar, though the carrot colada she had been drinking at the time certainly helped. He had rather coyly replied that she was "definitely his best friend in the burrows, at least." Despite the tease, the warmth in his eyes had told her that he did feel the same way. He had even given her a hug. Freely. Of his own will and everything. And she hadn't stepped on his tail this time! No, they were not just friends. They were _best_ friends.

If that was not proof enough of their friendship, they had spent nearly every single one of her off-duty hours together prepping him for the academy. She had even convinced the chief to allow Nick to join her on a few ride-alongs, ostensibly to give him a taste of the job, but also because she could not shake the sense of emptiness his absence gave her, even while partnered with other officers. For his part, Nick never complained or gave the impression there was anywhere he would rather be than with her.

And then he had left to attend the academy. The four-month course that would ultimately shape him into a police officer also meant very limited contact between the unlikely duo. And Judy, despite being surrounded by many new acquaintances in the ZPD and the city at large, had been very lonely without him. They messaged each other every day on their respective breaks, and still got to see each-other on the weekends, but even so she had still missed him terribly and would occasionally drop by the academy to see how he was doing, much to the annoyance of the instructors.

However, no matter when and where they met up he always had a warm smile for her whenever he saw her, and it in equal parts affirmed her desire to spend more time with him, and made her even more impatient for the day they would finally be together.

 _'Working. Working together. Be together, working.'_

But it had worth the wait, because Nick had passed the academy with flying colors and – after a recommendation from Chief Bogo himself – now sat at her side as her partner.

Today was both his first day on the force and their first official assignment together – tracking down a street racer who had been tearing up downtown – and so far it had been everything the bunny had hoped for.

The two had been trading playful barbs all morning and much to Judy's satisfaction she had been coming out on top, for the most part. She had expected their first patrol would go something like this and had mentally prepared herself to give as good as she got. That said, she hadn't expected it to be this much fun, and she quickly found herself relaxing into their repartee, loving every moment of it. Perhaps loving it a little too much, as his next quip caught her completely off guard.

"You know you love me."

 _Ba-dump._

The young rabbit's heart skipped a beat as those words left the vulpine's lips. A surge of _something_ hit the grey bunny as his words sunk in and a feeling of heat started to creep up to the tips of her ears. She quickly fought down the blush that was threatening to turn the soft pink of her inner ears to a crimson red as that something formulated itself into a realization which she had been refusing to acknowledge for months.

 _Ba-dump._

 _'Oh, cheese and crackers…'_

Nick hadn't noticed, yet. In fact, barely a second had passed since he had spoken, and the fox seemed to be more wrapped up in keeping his pawpsicle from melting than gauging his partner's reaction to – what he must have intended to be – just a playful jab at the bunny. Thinking quickly, she flipped his comment back on him and turned it into a question – a trick that he himself had taught her.

"Do I know that?" She shot back, causing the vulpine to hesitate. And had his smile faltered a little just now?

 _Ba-dump._

 _'Alright, now what Jude?'_ she thought, relishing the few seconds she had bought herself to regain her composure. Her heart felt like it was going to burst through her chest as her brain sprinted through a complex series of mental gymnastics trying to get her out of the corner she had put herself in.

 _'DO I know that?'_

Her own words echoed in her ears. To her credit, she had kept a straight face and a relaxed tone when saying it, but that didn't change the fact she had basically blurted out the first thing that came into her head. And now Nick was staring right at her, giving her an equally unreadable expression as he patiently waited for the answer to her question, letting the silence between them stretch.

 _Ba-dump._

She turned her head to gaze back at him, his muzzle turned up in an exact mirror of her own, denying her any insight into what he was thinking either. Her eyes briefly lingered on those dark, vulpine lips, causing another wave of that _something_ hit her. It was all she could to do keep her nose from reflexively twitching and betraying her thoughts (and, as she was quickly realizing, her feelings).

 _Ba-dump._

Judy forced herself to shift her focus upwards and away from Nick's muzzle. She immediately regretted it as she locked eyes with her partner instead. Emerald-hued eyes full of mirth and curiosity gazed back at her, beckoning her to close the distance and give her reply.

 _Ba-dump._

A feeling of warmth exploded in her chest as the thrill of her realization grew, and before she could stop herself, the words just seemed to flow from her lips.

"Yes. Yes I do."

Internally, she was bracing herself for a meltdown of embarrassment. Instead, she felt a weight lift from her small body. It felt right to say it, even if she had worded it ambiguously, and the way Nick's face lit up as she said it only served to fan the warm feeling in her body into a torturous flame.

 _'Oh, sweet cheese and crackers, I really, really DO know it…'_ she mused as she gazed into her partner's eyes. She felt herself leaning closer, and it felt like he was leaning in too.

 _Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

 _'Are… are we about to…?'_

Her eyes dropped to his lips and became heavy-lidded as she thought deliriously about closing the distance and pressing her petite mouth to his. Just a little closer…

 _Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

A flash of green in the corner of her eye brought her attention to the traffic signal changing and, clutching the steering wheel like a lifeline, she forced herself to break eye contact and turn herself to face forward. Summoning her inner hustler bunny, she willed herself to be calm and carry on like normal.

 _'Don't let him see that he gets to you… not like that, at least! He probably doesn't even feel that way… does he?'_

 _Ba-dump..._

A twinge of sadness crept into Judy's mind at that last thought, her pulse slowing and her focus returning. Letting go of the breath that she didn't know she was holding, she put the cruiser in gear and depressed the accelerator, giving herself a mental pat on the back for the willpower she had just displayed, _'Phew. That was clo…'_

 _ZROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM._

Stifling a terrified squeak, she instinctively slammed on the brake as a vehicle flew past them mere inches from their front bumper.

 _BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP._

Her poor heart, which had already been violently hammering away for the last 20 seconds, seemed to redouble its efforts. She thanked her grueling academy training for bringing her to the peak of physical fitness; an average rabbit might have gone into cardiac arrest by this point.

Turning to Nick, she could see the realization in his eyes just as it was dawning on her. She returned the smirk he flashed her, once more throwing the car into gear and peeling out after the suspect they had been hunting for all morning. She was so wrapped up in the chase that all thought of what had just passed between them was briefly forgotten, and she failed to notice the way Nick's nose twitched as it gathered in the scent which had all but saturated the interior of the cruiser …

* * *

 _ **A/N: End of fluff. For now. Let me know if you enjoyed this, and I might consider adding to it?**_

 _ **FYI, I do take chocolate as encouragement.**_

 _ **Am I asking for bribes in chocolate form?**_

 _ **Yes, yes I am.**_


	2. Chapter 2: The Hundred Yard Dash

_**So, my friends, this one shot has turned into a two shot, the second of which shall now delve into and then expand upon the final encounter with Flash. And as I've run out of lines to pull from the movie, I shall now have to start writing original dialogue and ideas. The training wheels are coming off, and I couldn't be happier! Or** **terrified.** **Happified? Yes, happified...**_

 _ **Thank you to MetalFox2013 (first!), Artificial Python, victor04, Jerrikki, ApatheisticDevil, judithwildehopps, (the enigmatic) Guest, MinscLovesBoo (go for the eyes!), GhostWolf88, Mi alma es negra, GUNSLINGER99, Shahrezad1, GusTheBear and Irual for the kind reviews, comments and messages of encouragement.**_

 _ **Your words are as sweet as chocolate, of which I have received half a pack of Reeses cups, a hershey bar, and a virtual chocolate chip cookie. Also a honey-glazed salmon, and whatever loose sweets ApatheisticDevil had in his pockets. Also a mouth full of rose petals. Don't ask *glares at Mi alma***_

 _ **Special shout out to Imanika over on DeviantArt for permitting me the use of her work as a cover image. Next time you are over there, please show her some love and give her a watch and a favorite - she does some absolutely gorgeous work :)**_

 _ **Incoming fluff!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Hundred Yard Dash**

After scouring the streets of downtown Savanna Central all morning, Judy was itching for some action. The past four hours would have dragged into forever for the impatient bunny were it not for the fact she got to spend that time in the company of her new partner and best friend. Still, as the clock dragged closer to midday she was starting to lose her patience, and not only that but her thoughts were beginning to drift to more uncomfortable topics. Topics involving a certain fox, and far fewer clothes.

Their last little exchange had started to send her imagination into overdrive, so when fate dropped the street racer into their path, she threw herself into chasing him down and bringing him to justice! Not at all to distract her from the increasingly attractive fox next to her. Nope. Justice!

Nick, on the other paw, had been quite content with the morning's proceedings. After receiving their brief from Chief Bogo, they had taken a leisurely cruise around downtown. They stopped once to help an elderly porcupine lady cross the street, and only once more at Nick's insistence (and Judy's exasperation) after spotting Finnick on a street corner hustling pawpsicles, which Nick naturally wanted to buy for old time's sake.

Finnick had scowled at him the entire time, charged him double, and threatened that, "Badge or no badge, I will BITE YOUR FACE OFF if you stick around just to scare away the few customers I'm getting."

Nick laughed, gave him a friendly, "Miss you too, big guy," blew the fennec a kiss, and then scarpered before the smaller fox could reach for the baseball bat he kept hidden under the booth at all times.

Finnick didn't go for the bat, he just grumbled as he watched his ex-partner jump into the police SUV with Judy, a pang of regret staying his hand as he watched his friend head off into his new life. However, as they started to pull away, Finnick just had to yell after them, "Hey, Bunny Cop, hope you know what you've signed up for! Badge or no badge, he's still Nick Wilde; hustler in spirit, asshole for life!"

Judy gave Nick a questioning look as the Fennec's booming laughter echoed after them down the street. The red fox simply shrugged, tipped his sunglasses, licked his pawpsicle, and said, "Hey, do you think that would look good on a ZPD T-shirt?" Judy sighed dramatically, trying to hide her amusement as they drove on in search of the racer.

Besides those minor encounters, Nick had gotten four hours of relaxing into the comfy chair of the police SUV with his favorite bunny for company. Truthfully he did miss hanging out with Finnick, but spending time with Judy was something else. With Finnick he always had to act the hustler; around Judy he felt like he could completely let his guard down and just be himself.

Perhaps that was why he had made that stupid flirty comment without thinking. Whatever the reason – and right now he was trying very hard NOT to think about the deeper meaning of what he had let slip – he felt a surge of relief as they located their perp and a thrill at the thought of being part of a car chase, hoping it would keep his mind off things for now.

Whatever distraction or excitement the two hoped to gain out of this 'chase' was short lived though as, upon noticing their lights and siren, the speedster had quickly and safely pulled over just outside the Savanna Central Gallery. Barely three blocks later they found themselves pulling in behind a red sports car with double white stripes and tinted windows, the chase over before it had even begun.

Judy's face was a picture of frustration and disappointment as she put the SUV in park. Nick shared her expression of frustration, but for a different reason entirely. His pulse had been steadily picking up with every breath he took in. ' _Jesus Capybara, that's Judy's scent alright, but why is it driving me so crazy?_ ' he thought dizzily, rolling down a window to ventilate the space.

Thankfully Judy hadn't noticed her partner's plight as she was trying not to lose her own cool over the lack of a chase. For a prey animal, she certainly seemed to possess some predatory instincts at times. Smoothing her features into an expression of calm professionalism, Judy unbuckled herself and stepped out of the SUV, with Nick following suit. The fox felt an odd feeling of familiarity as they approached the red sports car, and the license plate number _FST NML_ tickled a memory that he couldn't quite place just yet.

Approaching the driver's-side window, Judy flipped her notepad to a blank page, brandished her carrot recorder pen and, putting on her best authoritative voice, rattled out, "Sir you were going 115 miles per hour. I hope you have a good explanation."

The tinted window slid down to reveal a broad, brown and white-furred head with a pair of large brown eyes that were currently filled with an unmistakable look of terror. Judy had anticipated the driver would be nervous. However, she hadn't expected he would be a sloth. Worse, as her eyes widened in recognition, she hadn't expected it to be THAT sloth.

"Flash Flash hundred yard dash!" came the pleasantly surprised voice of her vulpine partner, who had moved up to stand at her right shoulder.

Flash Slothmore seemed frozen in place momentarily, before his worried expression melted into a languid smile and he oh-so-slowly sounded out, "Niiiiiiiiick…"

"I thought I recognized _The Animal_ when you drove past. You get some work done on the old girl?"

"Just… some… new… rims… and… the… racing… stripes…"

"Is that so? She's looking good."

Judy had been standing by gawking at the exchange, but her patience was already wearing thin with the sloth's ponderous speech.

"Nick, I know he's your friend, but this mammal is a prime suspect for our street racer!"

"I know fluff, but let me handle this."

"I… wasn't… racing… Officer… Hopps…"

Judy jumped in before Nick could interject, causing the fox to sigh and throw up his paws.

"No? Then care to explain why we caught you going nearly double the speed limit in the middle of downtown?"

There was a long pause – in sloth terms a very long pause – as Flash's earnest expression slowly transitioned to one of regret.

"I… needed… to… blow… off… some… steam…"

"Uh huh," Judy retorted in a mildly disinterested tone while scribbling furiously in her notepad, "And do you realize the penalty for racing in city limits is to have your car impounded and destroyed? Not to mention the possibility of jail time. You're lucky that no one was hurt or any… property… damaged…?"

All the while Judy was talking, Flash's gentle expression was gradually transitioning to deeper and deeper regret. At the mention of his car being destroyed, pain rolled across his previously serene face and his expression declined through heart-wrenching sadness then pulled inwards, his brows steadily drawing upwards together and his eyes slowly screwing up to express deep anguish.

The slow, steady sob that came from the mammal caused Judy to falter, her expression softening and her nose starting to twitch as she saw the very real pain in the other mammal's face. She turned to look at her partner, unsure what to do. Nick was just standing there, his arms folded and a stern expression on his own muzzle as he regarded the bunny, causing her to bite her lower lip as a wave of remorse hit her.

Had she been too hard on the sloth? Maybe. But what could she do? She couldn't take back what she had already said, it was the cold hard truth, and technically she was just doing her job. She looked to Nick for an answer, her eyes betraying her uncertainty.

Seeing his partner staring at him expectantly, the fox shook his head and rolled his eyes as if to say _'what did you expect would happen?'_. Making up his mind to help fix this situation, Nick turned and leaned back against the side of the car right next to the open window, fixing Judy with his trademark smirk.

"Hey now, Officer Hopps, technically this fine upstanding citizen wasn't _racing_ anyone. After all, to race, you need to have at least two cars involved, and Flash here was all on his own." Judy raised a paw and opened her mouth to protest, but Nick cut her off. "And yes, while they do say 'If you chase, it's a race', Flash here didn't make us chase him, did ya buddy?"

Flash, who had been sobbing in slow motion, slowly turned his head to gaze out of the window, eyes glistening with unshed tears at the thought of jail time or, worse, losing his most prized possession. Hearing Nick's question, he shook his head with uncharacteristic speed – each swing of his head taking a mere 3 seconds to complete – finding some salvation in his old high school friend.

"No… Officer… Wilde…"

"There you have it. Right from the sloth's mouth. Sure he was speeding, but that's a ticketable offense at worst, and besides that he has been a model of compliance with the law," Nick said, an air of smug finality surrounding the vulpine as he gave his melting pawpsicle a satisfying lick.

Judy looked at her partner despairingly. She felt bad for pressuring the sloth the way she had and she was relieved to have Nick step in, but did he have to be so darned smug about it? _'Though he is very handsome when he smiles at me like that,'_ came an unbidden thought. _'No, no, bad Judy. Focus!'_

Sensing her apparent hesitation, Nick made one more play to seal the deal. Judy's eyes widened as the fox suddenly stepped away from the car and leaned in close to her face, causing her heart to skip.

"Besides, we really do owe him one for his help on the Nighthowler case," the fox whispered, his warm breath tickling her sensitive whiskers and carrying the sweet fruit scent of the pawpsicle to her nose, "Don't you think we could let him off this once, Fluff?"

Judy swallowed reflexively as Nick fixed her with a pleading look. She knew she was being hustled, but there was no way she could refuse at this point. Her paws seemed to move of their own accord as they tore a blank speeding ticket from the pad and shoved it roughly in the vulpine's face, wanting to put anything between them before she started to blush from having him so close.

"Fine, just a ticket, but… you fill it out, rookie!" she huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at the fox. She was trying her best to act upset at him, but truthfully she was relieved that he was able to salvage the situation before she wound up getting Flash's car turned into a heap of salvage with her by-the-book approach. That said, she did not relish the idea of filling out any paperwork for the sloth, so Nick could handle that one. She was NOT letting the fox put her through that again!

Nick smirked as he stood upright and pried the paper from his muzzle. With a deft movement, he plucked the carrot pen out Judy's paw and pressed the pawpsicle stick into the empty space before she could react.

"Hold onto that and don't let it melt, Carrots," he said with an amused tone. Judy gave him another little "hmph!" and turned her back on him as she furiously starting lapping at the iced treat with her smaller tongue. _'That sly fox. First he hustles me, then he steals my pen, and now he wants me to babysit his treat!?'_

With a comically small growl Judy sunk her teeth into the paw-shaped ice pop, barely making a dent as she imagined it was his paw she was biting. An uncomfortable warmth started to creep up her ears as her brain mischievously flipped that mental image to imagine her treating his paw like a popsicle instead. _'No, bad Judy!'_ she reprimanded herself, pushing down the thought of sucking on his paw, only for her then to remember whose mouth the pawpsicle had been in mere moments ago, causing her to blush even harder. "Dumb fox…" she mumbled, unable to help herself as she started to bashfully lick at the pawpsicle while telling herself it was just to keep it from melting. _'Dumber bunny…'_

* * *

"Sorry Flash, but given the circumstances we still have to give you a ticket. Best I can do, buddy," Nick said as he approached the car again, an apologetic expression on his face, "Gonna need your license and registration."

"It's… okay… Nick…" the sloth sedately replied, the beginnings of a rueful smile forming on his broad face as he reached unhurriedly for the glove compartment to retrieve his papers.

While he waited, Nick spared a glance to the bunny behind him. She was standing a little ways off, arms still crossed, and seemed very intent on the pawpsicle stick in her paw. As he caught her eye her face went red – or was that even redder? – and she glowered at him crossly before turning her back on him and redoubling her efforts on the pawpsicle, causing the fox to chuckle at her reaction.

"Here… you… go… Officer…"

Nick turned back and accepted the ID and registration, confirming they were both valid before writing up the ticket. He wasn't the least bit surprised to see they were up to date – after all, Flash worked in the DMV, so he had no excuse for them not to be. Still, it troubled him that an honest mammal like Flash would be out doing something so reckless on the streets that could not only cost him his car, but also his job and his freedom.

Handing the completed ticket over to the sloth, Nick gave him a concerned look and leaned on the open window, "Flash, buddy, be honest with me. What's really going on? You know better than to go tearing around downtown in _The Animal_. Someone could have gotten hurt."

"I… know… Nick… but… I… was… so… frustrated…" The sloth's face seemed to move towards anger, but gave up halfway and slipped back into sadness. "I… got… kicked… out… of… the… club…."

Nick's eyebrows shot upwards at that revelation and, despite being stood a few feet away. One of Judy's radar-like ears shot up too as she caught the exchange.

"You talking about your racing buddies down at the docks?"

The sloth bobbed his head up and down languidly, never losing that sad expression. Judy meanwhile had moved up to stand beside her partner once more. She had heard about the races that sometimes happened down at the various waterfronts. Events run by individuals with the same penchant for skirting the law that Nick had once boasted, always finding ways to turn a profit from their questionable activities while hustling their way around the law, leaving the ZPD frustrated with no way to shut them down.

"Why? I thought Xander was cool with you racing with his crew?"

Judy blinked in surprise as Nick casually dropped the name of one of ZPD's highest ranked 'mammals of interest'. There was no mistaking who he meant. Xander Chase was an aardwolf who had his claws in all sorts of questionable businesses around the city, including a few racing rings, all run just enough above board and with the right kind of permits to avoid giving the ZPD anything to charge him with. _'Of course Nick would know this guy. "He knows everyone",'_ she thought, half rolling her eyes as she remembered her partner's old catchphrase.

"Xander… disappeared. New… management… said… no… sloths… allowed. Would… hurt… their… business…"

Both fox and bunny turned to give one another a knowing glance, sensing something more to this story.

"Hmm, you thinking what I'm thinking?" the bunny asked thoughtfully, leaning close to the fox.

"Sounds like there's something fishy going down at the docks," posited Nick while stroking his chin for comic effect.

"…really, Slick?" Judy retorted flatly and giving him a look that betrayed how much she wanted to whack him for the awful pun. Nick just winked at her again, causing her to avert her gaze bashfully and curse inwardly, _'Damnit Jude, if you were any more obvious, you might as well write it on yourself with a marker pen!'_

"Flash, I hate to do this to you, bud, but would you follow us down to the station?" The sloth's face started another transition toward terror before the fox quickly added in, "No no, you're not in any more trouble, we just want to ask you a few questions about this 'new management' you mentioned."

"Oh… sure… Nick…" Relief flowed across Flash's face. "Lead… the… way…"

Walking back to the SUV, Judy brusquely handed the pawpsicle back to its rightful owner and marched a few steps ahead of him, mostly so he couldn't see the mix of emotions currently playing across her face.

Nick chuckled outwardly at Judy's sour mood, but inwardly he was feeling guilty for giving her the run around. They were partners, but back there it felt like he was working against her a little too much. _'I guess I shouldn't push her too hard. It is only our first day together, after all. Officially, anyway.'_ Resolving to be more supportive next time, he went to give his pawpsicle a lick when he noticed an unusual crescent of indentations along the top.

"Carrots… why is there a bite mark in my pawpsicle?"

Judy's ears perked up and she turned to Nick, schooling her face into a blank expression as a singular, wicked thought entered her mind – _'Revenge!'_

Reaching out to touch him on the forearm, Judy put on her most saccharine voice, "Oh, because I was thinking about doing this…" Quick as a flash, the bunny leaned in and with a throaty little growl sunk her teeth into the flesh just above his wrist, not hard enough to injure him, but definitely hard enough to hurt.

"YEOWCH! What the hell, Carrots!?" the fox yelled, leaping back and dramatically cradling his paw as if he had narrowly avoided losing it in the jaws of an apex predator.

Stepping back and grinning evilly, the bunny placed one fist on her hip and pointed an accusatory paw at the fox. "That's for hustling me. And stealing my pen. And for that awful fish joke. And… and…"

 _'_ _And making me feel really confused…'_

"Ok, ok. Noted, do not steal the pen, on pain of bunny bites," he interrupted, rubbing his paw and warily walking back towards her. "That's quite the chomp you have on you. You might have broken the skin. Gasp, is that blood!?"

Judy gave a start and moved to examine his paw, a worried expression on her face and an apology already forming on her lips, before being stopped short by the obvious smirk on the fox's face.

"Oh, no. No, it's just pawpsicle juice."

"Nick…"

"Hey, do rabbits carry rabies? I should probably get checked for rabies anyway, just to be safe."

"Nick!"

"Yes, Carrots?"

"Get in the car."

"Are you going to bite me again if I don't?"

"Car. Get. Now."

"Alright, alright. No need to go savage on me."

Judy was fixing Nick with a death glare as he backed his way around the side of the car, his paws up in surrender and his muzzle set in a wide grin. Reaching up for the passenger door, Nick braced himself before climbing back into the SUV, and was relieved to find the scent from earlier had dissipated. He tried not to think about that too much as the bunny climbed up into the driver seat and started the car. However, she seemed oddly serene as she pulled the car out and started them back towards the precinct. A sly realization came over the fox.

"So, back to the station, fluff?"

"Well, we did just bag our street racer," she replied cheerfully.

"Yep, and now we are bringing him in for questioning."

"Yes, we are…"

Judy was becoming uncomfortably aware of the grin Nick was giving her. Nick was just waiting for the penny to drop.

"Nick, why are you…"

It finally occurred to her exactly WHO they were bringing in for questioning.

"Oh, no…"

"Oh, yes…"

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers, we're bringing a SLOTH in for questioning."

"Uh huh…"

"Can't we… can't we just let him off with a warning?"

"Why, Carrots, are you suggesting to your rookie partner that we not follow procedure? Tsk tsk, what would the chief think?"

"Ugh, please Nick. Let's just go rogue and be dirty cops instead!"

"Nuh uh, fluff. You got me on the straight and narrow, and that's where we're staying."

There was a long pause. As the grey bunny tried to collect her thoughts.

"Nick?"

"Yes, Carrots?"

"I hate you."

Nick's smirk widened as he sat back and worked on noisily finishing off his pawpsicle, sparing a glance for his partner who was intently focusing on driving with the most adorably petulant expression on her face. _'Yup, still got it, Slick,'_ he thought, pleased at himself for getting under the bunny's skin, his good intentions forgotten for the time being. He couldn't help himself, she was just so cute when she was flustered, though he had enough sense not to say so out loud.

Nick was right that he had gotten the bunny all riled up, but not in the way he had imagined. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to really think about the pawpsicle, but it was all Judy could focus on right now as she watched the vulpine casually sucking on the treat which she had only moments before been lathering with her own tongue. _'Gosh, what is wrong with me today?'_ she thought, biting her lower lip as she fought down the inappropriate thoughts and urges that were playing up again.

She glanced around for anything to distract her, and it was only then that she realized that Flash had been effortlessly tailing them for the last few blocks.

"Nick?"

"Mm?" came the response around the pawpsicle stick.

"I don't mean to sound insensitive or anything, but… how is a sloth able to drive that well?"

"You're right, you sound completely insensitive," the fox teased, slipping the now empty stick into his shirt pocket.

"Nick…" she growled at him.

"Alright, alright. Put your bunny fangs away," he snickered, " _The Animal_ , as it's called, is custom built for Flash's specific needs. Hyper-sensitive tuning on the acceleration, steering and braking systems, automatic gearbox, racing-grade tires and brake pads, and a cherry red paint job because red ones go faster."

"But… he's so slow! How does that even work? Especially with a car that fast!"

"Hey, I told you before Flash was the fastest guy at the DMV, right?"

"Right?" she replied skeptically.

"Well, that's all down to reaction times. Sure he doesn't move fast overall, but he's off the block before anyone else. Combine that with a custom rig like the one behind us and you get…"

Judy spared her partner a glance as he hesitated.

"What?"

"…well, you already overheard that he was part of Xander Chase's racing crew. He earned his way in by hustling them."

"A sloth hustled one of ZPD's most wanted?" Judy's skepticism was in full bloom now.

"Ok, maybe not on purpose, but you try convincing a dozen racers they haven't been hustled when they give _Flash the Hundred Yard Dash_ a massive handicap – just because he's a sloth – and he's off the block and across the finish line before they're halfway down the track."

"Huh…" Judy knit her brows as she thought it through. She had been really unfair on the sloth and underestimated him herself, but from what Nick was telling her that was exactly how he had "hustled" the other racers and earned their respect. Of course, now they had turned around and kicked him out for reasons unknown, and that was something they were going to get to the bottom of.

"So, how do you know so much about all this anyway? Were you there?"

"…I plead the fifth."

"Riiight…" She fixed her partner an unimpressed look and he shot her back a sly grin.

"I used to do the rounds on some of the racing tracks. Money may or may not have changed hands in a few friendly wagers on the outcomes of certain races, especially those involving a certain sloth…"

"Nick, you know that's completely illegal, right?"

"Well fluff, it's not what you know, it's what you can prove. And I'm not admitting to being involved in any actual betting myself. Besides, I still have the carrot pen."

He brandished the hidden recording device from his pocket and hit play. The sound of a tape rewinding was heard, and Judy's heart dropped into her stomach as she heard a small, plaintive voice crying out from the device, _"please Nick. Let's just go rogue and be dirty cops instead!"_

"NICK!"

The SUV swerved dangerously as she tried to reach across and snatch the device from his paw.

"DELETE THAT RIGHT NOW!"

"Eyes on the road!" he cried, as they narrowly missed another vehicle in the adjacent lane, earning a chorus of wildly blaring horns as a number of other cars had to compensate for the sudden movement of the SUV. All except for the car behind them; Flash was still driving placidly on their tail, completely unphased by the near collision in front of him.

"Fine!" she huffed, fixing her gaze forwards. Biting her lip and sparing him a sidelong glance, her words trembled on the verge of tears as she begged in a small voice, "Nick, please…"

"Oh, you worry too much, Fluff. You think I would do _anything_ to jeopardize our partnership?" he asked, feigning sounding hurt, but then quickly following up, "Don't answer that."

Despite herself, Judy smiled.

"There, deleted," he said, depressing the hidden delete button on the bottom side of the device, and giving the play button another press, the built-in speaker crackling with static proving there was no more recording.

"Thank you, Nick…" the bunny breathed.

"For not blackmailing you? Most welcome," he said glibly, causing the bunny to role her eyes at his antics.

A few moments later they were turning off the main road and into the Precinct One car park. Flash parked _The Animal_ in a bay for civilians while they pulled into a spot reserved for ZPD personnel. Hopping out of the cruiser, Judy took one look at the sloth leisurely dismounting from his vehicle and starting his slow motion walk across the parking lot, and turned to Nick with a slightly panicked expression.

"Why don't you walk him in. I'll… go make a start on the paperwork!"

Not waiting for a response, the bunny sprinted off through the main doors and approached the central reception and the welcoming sight of the portly cheetah dispatcher behind the desk, enjoying what had to be at least his third bowl of Lucky Chomps breakfast cereal of the morning.

"Hey Clawhauser! How's it going?"

"Oh hey there, Judy, pretty good. Bob and Francine just came back to turn in a report on this morning's protest in the meadowlands. Ooh, and Fangmeyer, Grizzoli and Delgato brought down a gang of armed jewelry thieves in Tundra Town – they're about to head out again soon to round up the rest. Oh, oh, oh, and check this out, I just got the highscore on this app! Look, you play a little round police officer who has to eat all of the donuts that fall from the sky! I even made my own little cheetah avatar! See? It's like it was made for me."

"Wow, playing an app that ISN'T Gazelle related? You feeling ok, Benny?"

"Hey now, you know that the angel with horns is my one true love, but even she tells us to try everything, right? I figure that extends to iCarrot apps too!"

"Can't argue with that logic."

"Nor would I expect you to, Little Miss Try Everything."

Judy blushed a little at the nickname. It was no secret that she was also a massive Gazelle fan, and that particular song had become something of her own theme song, particularly after being recognized by most of her colleagues as a relentless tryhard.

"So, how is the street racer case coming along? Any leads?"

"Oh, we already caught him. In fact, Nick should be bringing him in any minute… or hour… now."

"Oh wow, that's our little Judy on Duty. Should have known you would solve the case in…" Clawhauser paused and stared strangely over Judy's head towards the door, where Nick was walking in at an incredibly leisurely pace, shoulder to shoulder with Flash, and having what looked like the most drawn-out conversation in history.

"Judy… that's a sloth."

"Uh huh."

"You're telling me that the street racer is a sloth?"

"Hey, don't be so closeminded, Ben!" Judy chided in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, "After all, this is Zootopia, where anyone can be anything. Even a sloth who wants to be a street racer…"

The tubby cheetah had both paws over his mouth as he tried to contain his laughter, and even Judy couldn't help but join him in a giggle.

"Anyway, can you have an interview room ready for us?"

"Hee hee, ok, Judy. I'll get one ready for you."

"Thanks, Ben…"

"My pleasure. Oh, by the way, bun bun, you've got a little red on you."

Judy looked up at Clawhauser in confusion to see him pointing at the corner of his mouth and then at her face.

"Oh? Thanks, must be from the popsicle earlier," she muttered, wiping at her muzzle with one small paw.

"No hunny bun, red _fur_ …"

"Oh?"

Pulling her paw back from her face, the bunny came away with several strands of russet-colored fur that could only have belonged to one mammal.

"Oh…" Judy murmured absently, her ears flushing with warmth that was only made worst by the cheetah's excited squee.

"Oh. Em. Goodness! I knew you were super excited to have him as your partner, and sure he's hot, but I didn't think little miss Judy on Duty would give into temptation on day one!"

"No no no no no NO! It's not like that! I… It must have been from when I bit him!"

"Ooh, kinky…" the cheetah purred, giving her a sultry look.

"Clawhauser!" Judy squeaked, looking thoroughly mortified.

Undeterred, the cheetah leaned closer, propping his round face between his paws as he whispered across the desk, "So was it HIS 'popsicle' you were nibbling on?'"

"CLAWHAUSER!"

"It's ok, your secret is safe with me..."

"It's not… I didn't… ARGH!"

Unable to take any more embarrassment, Judy stormed off, her face, ears and throat flushing several shades of red that her grey fur did little to conceal.

"It's ok, Judy. I totally ship you two!" the cheetah called after her, earning a frustrated growl from the bunny as she marched out the front door, giving Nick and the sloth a wide berth on her way out.

Finally reaching the front desk, Nick leaned one elbow on the desk and cocked an eyebrow at the dispatcher.

"Hey, Claw. What's wrong with Judy? She looked pretty mad just now…" Nick asked, unable to hide the concern in his voice.

Ben had settled back to his bowl of cereal, avoiding eye contact and giving Nick a noncommittal shrug and a guarded, "No idea, foxy. Maybe you should go out there and console her?"

The sidelong glance Ben gave him should have clued him in to the game Clawhauser was playing, but his doubts from earlier in the day resurfaced and distracted him into worrying that it might have been because of him pushing too far on their very first patrol together.

"Right… uh, you mind booking my friend here into one of the interview rooms? I'll… I'll go talk to her."

"Already on it, Officer Wilde," he said jovially, as the fox turned and took off after the bunny.

"Go get her, Slick…" the cheetah whispered, resisting the urge to squee at the thought of the two of them 'consoling' eachother, before turning back to the sloth patiently waiting for him at the desk.

"Alright, Mr. Speed Racer, lets get you sorted out."

"Nice… to… meet… you… officer…"

"Hoo boy…" Clawhauser's ears fell and he plastered a big, fake smile on his face as he braced himself for what was probably going to be the most painful few minutes of his life.

* * *

Outside, Judy had marched back to the cruiser and was sat on the curb, her head in her paws as she tried to get a handle on her wildly fluctuating emotions.

"Get it together, Judy. He's your best friend."

 _'_ _Your incredibly attractive best friend.'_

"Who is a fox."

 _'_ _The most handsome fox in Zootopia…'_

"No no no… ok, maybe…"

 _'_ _And it's not like you haven't thought about it before.'_

"That was just… just…"

 _'_ _Just admit it. Even Clawhauser thinks he's attractive.'_

"Wait, did Clawhauser call my partner hot?"

A completely irrational flare of jealousy added itself to the already tumultuous melting pot of confused emotions she was running through. Fixating on the large cheetah, she decided that this was all HIS fault and leapt to her feet, ready to give the poor fellow a piece of her mind, only for her to turn and slam face-first into a pair of warm, soft, familiar, red-furred arms.

Had any other mammal but Nicholas P. Wilde attempted to hug the hot-tempered bunny out of the blue like that, especially in the mood she was currently in, they were liable to have found themselves eating pavement with one arm twisted halfway up their spine while being read their Miranda rights. As it was, the part of Judy's brain labelled "kick ALL of the ass" immediately shut down as her senses were overwhelmed by the familiar warmth and scent of her partner, and she gave a quiet "meep..." as she melted into his embrace unquestioningly.

Nick for his part was just as surprised at the hug as she was. He had approached her cautiously, noting that she was grumbling angrily to herself on the sidewalk, but unable to catch what exactly she was grumbling about. Not wanting to upset her further, he had approached carefully with his arms wide open in a neutral gesture. However, before he could say anything, she had hopped up and blindly run straight into him, his arms instinctively curling around her small frame protectively to keep her from falling. And there they stayed. And there she stayed. And, unsure what to do, there he stayed too.

For the longest time they both stayed that way, neither saying or doing anything more than simply holding and being held, his paws draped around her shoulders, and hers gently clutching the front of his shirt. All of her frustration and confusion seemed to flow away as she leaned her head against his chest and breathed in his scent. She giggled softly as she felt his breath tickling the top of her head as he drew in her scent, and she nuzzled gently into him, thinking only about how _right_ this felt, and not questioning it any deeper than that.

"Judy…"

Ears that had laid in flat repose along her back shot upwards as she tilted her face to gaze up into sorrowful emeralds that gazed down at her.

"…I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time. I know you must have had a lot of expectations for today. I'm sorry for disappointing you."

Judy blinked and leaned back, feeling his paws supporting her as she continued to gaze up at his face.

"What are you talking about, Nick? Today has been everything I dreamed of! And more!" she exclaimed. _'A lot more,'_ she thought coyly. "There's no way you could disappoint me. I knew exactly what I was signing up for when I asked you to be my partner, Mr. _Hustler in Spirit_."

That last brought a smile to his muzzle, which in turn made her heart flutter, leading her to unconsciously lean in a little closer.

"Today has been the best day I have had since I became a police officer, and it's not even past midday yet! I can't wait to see what the rest of today brings. Even if it does turn into one long interview with a sloth."

Nick marveled at the sweet, innocent sincerity in her face as she said that, filling his chest with a sense of warmth and pride at being the partner of this wonderful rabbit.

"So… you're not mad at me for hustling you earlier?"

"Of course not. I mean, I wasn't exactly thrilled, but it's part of who you are, and you saved me from doing something horrible to an undeserving mammal! …he IS undeserving, right?"

"Oh yes, absolutely, scouts honor," Nick said, briefly removing one paw from her back to hold it up in a solemn salute.

"Good. Well, as long as you promise to continue using your powers for good, I don't mind who you hustle. Just, try not to hustle me so much, Slick."

"I promise nothing. It is in my nature to hustle, after all."

That earned a chuckle from both of them.

"Sly fox…" she purred.

"Dumb bunny…" he grinned back, leaning in a little, his muzzle hovering just above her face.

"You know you love me…" she murmured, batting her eyelashes and unconsciously pressing up on her tip toes to bring her face closer to his, their noses nearly touching and their heartbeats racing. Nick could feel his heart in his throat as he silently mouthed the words, _'Do I know that?'_

"AHEM," came a deep voice from behind them, sounding more like a growl than a cough. Both shot a startled glance over Nick's shoulder to see the tigress officer, Fangmeyer, standing there fully kitted out in SWAT gear and displaying an amused grin on her feline features.

"Clawhauser asked me to tell you that the sloth you brought in is waiting in interview room one," the big cat purred, sapphire eyes sparkling with mirth as she regarded the two small mammals still embracing.

"Right, yes, of course! Can't keep him waiting. That would be rude, See you in there Nick!" the bunny detached herself from her partner, brushed off the front of her uniform, and shot back into the precinct before either fox or tigress could react or see the blush once more spreading wildly across her face.

Barely following the rabbit as she dashed out of sight, Fangmeyer slung her head back around to where Nick was standing, only to find him missing as well. Her eyebrows shot up as she scanned the area, and a grin split her features as she spied the fox slinking his way around the cars to get to the door without her noticing.

"Don't let the chief catch you two snuggling behind the cruisers, Wilde," she called out to him, causing the fox to freeze in his steps.

Turning on his heel, he marched back up to the tigress, looking offended. Stopping just a few feet from where she stood, he had to crane his neck up to look her in the eye.

"Snuggling? Madame, I hope you are not implying anything untoward between my partner and I," he barked up at her, receiving a raised eyebrow and folded arms that only served to make the large predator look even larger. He kept his expression calm, but couldn't help feeling more than a little unnerved as the tiger bore down on him.

"Uhm… it was just a hug?"

"Uh huh," Fangmeyer sounded unconvinced. With the image of them standing nose to nose in each-other's arms behind the cruisers fresh in her memory, her stern expression broke into a smirk, and she stood there silently waiting for the fox to dig himself into an even deeper hole. He did not disappoint.

"What can I say? There's nothing like a good hug to get me through those first day jitters. And when your partner is the cuddliest bunny on the force, well, how could I resist? Speaking of which, you look a little tense yourself. Care for a hug? On the house."

Nick spread his arms out wide, offering the big cat a hug. She snorted and leaned in only to ruffle the fur atop his head before casually heading off towards a SWAT van parked on the corner.

"No? Well maybe later then, Stripes," he called after her, earning nothing more than a flick of her tail.

Turning back towards the precinct, Nick absently smoothed his ruffled fur as the section of his mind that was devoted to self-preservation already ran through selectively suppressing what had just passed between him and Judy. _'It WAS just a hug,'_ He told himself, _'Yup. Nothing more to it than that.'_ Taking a deep calming breath and re-setting his muzzle to its default smirk, he pushed the glass door open and headed back in.

* * *

Fangmeyer slammed the door to the swat van as she situated herself in the passenger side seat, still chuckling softly to herself as she buckled in. To her left, a stocky rhinoceros with pinkish-gray skin and decked in the gear of a SWAT team leader sat staring at her strangely from the driver seat. He spared a glance for the lion and polar bear in the back, also in SWAT gear, then turned to the tigress again.

"Mind letting us in on the joke, Fangmeyer?" asked Krumpanski.

Shaking her head, Fangmeyer replied, "Just something the new rookie said."

"You mean the fox, Wilde?" asked Delgato from the back seat.

"You must watch out for sly foxes, kitty cat," cautioned Grizzoli in his thick old-country accent, "Especially that one. My cousin has dealings with Nicholas Wilde before he joins ZPD. As sly as they come, he says."

Krumpanski snorted at the two in the back seat, wordlessly commanding their silence, before turning back to the tigress.

"So…?"

Fangmeyer raised an eyebrow at the rhino, then gave him a toothy grin and threw both her arms out to him, "You look a little tense, Krumpanski. Care for a hug?"

Krumpanski stared at the tigress disbelievingly, then pointed at the door behind her and flatly told, "Get out."

"Aw, maybe later then?" the tigress followed up with a wink, earning an annoyed snort from the rhino and a howl of laughter from the backseat.

"Ok, enough horsing around," the Rhino snapped.

"Hey, not cool, I have friends who are horses."

"Shut it, Delgato." Krumpanski waited a moment for the snickers to die down. When he was content that the others were done joking the rhino continued, "Alright, we did some good work this morning, but the chief needs us to stay on standby in Tundra in case the rest of the jewelry gang surfaces. Any questions?"

"…Just one?" came the reply from Delgato.

"What is it?"

"Can _I_ get a hug from Fangmeyer?"

"Not on your life, you walking mane commercial," the tigress retorted with a laugh.

"Hey, don't bad-mouth the mane! You're just jealous of how fabulous it is."

"Remind me," piped up Grizzoli, "It IS the _males_ of your species who grow the long hair, yes?"

"Heyyyy, don't take her side!" cried the lion, throwing a playful punch into the bear's arm while Fangmeyer doubled over in laughter in the front seat.

Grizzoli stared daggers at the lion. "Do not be starting fights you cannot win, _Pretty Cat_ ," he growled, swatting at the lion's head with one large paw.

"Not the mane!" Snarled Delgato while jerking in his seat, the whole vehicle rocking as the two large males traded words and and half-playful, half-serious blows with one another. Fangmeyer simply watched on in unrestrained amusement at the chaos she had inspired.

Krumpanski let out a long, annoyed groan as they pulled out of the parking lot. These furballs were going to be the death of him.

* * *

Nick was feeling more of his normal self as he stepped into the precinct and proceeded to look around for his partner. Clawhauser was lost playing on his phone, so no help there, and the rest of the building was bustling with activity as usual, making it hard to spot one small mammal, however energetic she might be.

"Hey Slick, over here!"

Ears perking in the direction of that voice, Nick turned to see the bunny in mid-hop waving him over to a corridor which lead toward some of the interview rooms. Or was that interrogation rooms? He supposed it depended on the context, and he hoped that for Flash's sake this would just be an interview. The poor guy had had a rough enough day already.

"Hey there, Officer Hopps," he addressed her playfully as he closed the distance, "Ready to make the world a better place?"

"Sure am, partner!" she replied cheerfully as she lead him down the corridor, not a single trace to be seen of the frustration that had painted her face a moment ago.

Nick smiled warmly at her back as she walked ahead, thinking to himself, _'Heh, you bunnies, so emotion-'_

His mind went blank as the rabbit whirled around and ambushed him, all but tackling him as she slipped her slender arms around the waist and squeezed him in another unexpected hug.

"Fluff, what…" he strangled out, trying to keep his composure and failing miserably.

"Thank you, Nick," she murmured, gazing up at him with a genuinely innocent expression full of gratitude. "I couldn't ask for a better partner."

Nick felt the tension in his body fade as he returned the hug, a genuine smile painting his own lips as he easily returned the platitude. "Me too, carrots. Me too…"

"Alright, lets get in there, partner!" she cried, back to her normal exuberance as she stepped out of the hug, pumped a fist in the air and dashed into the room.

Nick watched her go, jaw slack and heart pounding as his traitorous brain took the opportunity to forcibly flash back to several vivid snapshots of the hug outside the precinct, and the last words that passed between them. _'You know you love me.'_

"Do I know that?" he murmured, staring after the bunny.

 _'_ _Yes, yes I do…'_

The fox's sly grin was gone, his usual façade all but forgotten and replaced with a dreamy expression as he sauntered after the bunny who had stolen his heart.

* * *

 ** _A/N: End of fluff._**

 ** _Ok, so this wound up much larger than anticipated. And used a LOT more characters than I intended. And set up a lot more plot hooks than I expected. And did not contain NEARLY as much chocolate as I wanted. Oh well, perhaps in chapter 3!_**

 ** _Now be honest. You tried shaking your head with a 3 second delay, didn't you. DIDN'T YOU!? (I did, for a whole 30 minutes while writing that section)._**

 ** _Also, pawpsicle has officially been added to my spellchecker. Naturally, I expect to see it added to the Oxford English Dictionary soon too._**

 ** _Incidentally, I now accept bribes in pawpsicle form, though chocolate remains the preferred currency. And no, unless you are a particular bunny rabbit, I will not accept any with bite marks :P_**

 ** _Please do keep the wonderful comments, reviews and offers of sweets and baked goods coming though! Just no more flowers. They taste awful._**


	3. Chapter 3: The Interview

**_Wow, over 50 followers and 1300 views!? When I first wrote this, I didn't expect more than a handful of responses. Thank you, sincerely, for the support and interest in this little fic :)_**

 ** _In light of the wonderful encouragement I have received, we are in full-blown multichapter fanfiction territory, people! No more of this one-shot or two-shot business. From now on, the only shots I will be mentioning are chocolate shots. Which if you have never done those before… what are you doing with your life!?_**

 ** _Also, I will be aiming to produce at least one chapter a week, coming out on a Friday (Oh, pickled carrots, I just set myself a deadline…)._**

 ** _Thanks to everyone who left a comment for your continued support, and to Imanika for the continued use of her art as the cover :)_**

 ** _On a special note, ApatheisticDevil, thank you for telling me about the Chocoholic Suicide Swirl. I now know how I want to die._**

 ** _However, before I end it all in a swirl of chocolatey glory…_**

 ** _Incoming fluff!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Interview**

Perhaps she had been too quick to accept the possibility of spending the rest of the day interviewing the sloth. She wasn't the most patient of mammals, and after the mess she nearly made while accosting him on the street, she wasn't feeling totally confident that she could keep herself from snapping and turning this interview into an interrogation. So… she had suggested that Nick lead instead.

Truthfully, she expected he would try to _fox_ his way out of it by reminding her that it was the senior officer's duty to lead any interview or interrogation. In fact she was convinced he would do just that. After all, that would then force HER to ask the questions and then (im)patiently sit there while the sloth sounded out each word like it was his last, and Nick was not normally one to pass up an opportunity to push the boundaries of her patience.

But he hadn't. When asked, he simply mumbled, "Anything you want, Fluff," and walked straight in, a dopey grin on his muzzle and a distant look in his eye. She was suspicious at first, wondering if this was another attempt at hustling her, but then he sat across from the sloth and, with the utmost professionalism, began to question him. It was slow going, naturally, but Judy found herself enthralled as she watched her partner throw himself into his role and for once she didn't feel the time pass as she focused on noting down any important details that came up. And maybe it helped that she was working on a little doodle of her partner on the back page during those long, long answers.

After nearly an hour into the interview they had ascertained that, shortly after the disappearance of Xander Chase, a mammal known only as Blair had assumed control of the operations down on the docks, deploying several enforcers to ensure things continued to run smoothly. Flash gave detailed descriptions of a number of these enforcers, and the bunny cop noted that each and every one was a predator. Nothing necessarily unusual there; a lot of mammals grouped themselves into predator or prey cliques, and this was especially true of the more well-known organised gangs of Zootopia like _The New Pards_ , _The_ _Pred Guard_ , and _The Flock_ , all of whom incidentally had links to the underground racing scene. Blair was a new player on the scene though, and besides the name, Flash wasn't able to provide a single additional detail about him or her. Judy made a note to run the name through the system later, but given how common it was she doubted it would turn up anything useful.

The bunny also took a moment to marvel at the wording of some of Flash's answers. Drawn-out though they were, once written down they wove a compelling story without once implicating the sloth in any wrong-doing himself. Maybe he really was a bit of a hustler after all.

The useful info kept flowing in a slow but steady stream, but then, somewhere around the two hour mark, the fox's focus started to wane.

"So, Mr Slothmore, let's try another line of questioning."

"Yes… Officer… Wilde?" the sloth replied slowly but attentively. Judy, whose eyes had frequently been fixated on the fox between her note-taking, couldn't miss the sidelong look and the smirk he gave her. _'Oh no.'_

"Why do some cows wear bells?"

 _'No no no no no.'_

Barely missing a beat, the sloth raised one long claw knowingly, eyes widening as he responded.

"Because… their… horns… don't… work!"

"Aha! So you know that one!" Nick barked between laughs. Flash, for his part, was trying to catch up with his own slow, steady laughter. Caught off guard, Judy just barely stifled a quiet snort of laughter but she couldn't ignore the rising sense of impending doom as Nick composed himself again.

"Alright, alright. How about this one…"

"Nick, please don't," she interjected softly, leaning close and touching his arm, a pleading look on her gumdrop-shaped face. The fox spared her another glance, and that smirk he wore _grew_.

"What's the difference between a well-dressed mammal on a bike, and a poorly-dressed mammal on a unicycle?"

Again, slowly composing himself Flash raised one claw and, with a smug expression that looked completely alien on his broad features, gave a one-word answer.

"Attire."

Again Nick was in fits, and Judy felt her frustration rising, no longer seeing the funny side. It was clear that the sloth had heard most of the ridiculous vehicle and road-related puns out there while working in the DMV, and as if to prove that point, he continued.

"Hey… Nick…."

"Yes, Flash?" he fired back, sparing another sly grin at the bunny beside him.

"What… happened… when… the… strawberry… tried… to… cross… the… road?"

The sloth's voice seemed to build in excitement as he reached the climax of his joke, Nick mirroring his energy and standing to lean on the desk. As one – Nick matching the speed and cadence of his sloth companion – they BOTH turned to Judy and gave the answer.

"Traffic… Jam!"

Again the fox's rapid laugh accompanied the sloth's staccato guffaws. Judy pinched the fur on top of her short muzzle with a sigh and settled in, knowing from experience that there was virtually no stopping this once it started. It wouldn't have been so bad if Flash didn't insist on repeating the question, every – single – time. To make matters worse, Nick had switched to material the sloth wasn't familiar with as if to guarantee this effect.

"Why don't they play poker in the savanna?"

"I… don't… know… Nick. Why… don't… they… play… poker… in… the… savanna?"

"Too many cheetahs!"

That one earned a groan from the bunny. She was sure Benny would be offended if he heard that.

"What do you get if you cross an elephant with a rhino?"

Flash repeated the question in the same fashion, quickly followed by Nick's answer.

"Elephino!"

Ok, that one got a giggle out of her.

"What do you get when you cross an elephant with a kangaroo?"

Again, Flash's reiteration, and Nick's answer.

"Holes ALL over Outback Island."

Judy could see a theme starting here, so when Nick turned and pointedly looked at her, an involuntary blush crept up into her cheeks and her brain oh-so-helpfully leapt in with its own question – _'What do you get when you cross a bunny with a fox?'_ Suddenly feeling incredibly warm and uncomfortable under his gaze, she hid her muzzle behind her notepad and tried to suppress that involuntary thought and its equally spontaneous answer, which ran to the tune of, _'I don't know, but I'm more than willing to find out…'_

"Why does Officer Hopps have a stepladder?"

That snapped her out of it. Sensing her height was about to be lampooned, she jumped up to stand in her too-large seat and got ready to box the fox about the ears.

"Nick, don't you dare."

Undeterred, he pressed on, answering the sloth's languid echo.

"Because her real ladder left her when she was a kit!"

"Heyyyy!" she jabbed him in the arm, hard. Flash was in the process of tumbling out of his chair on his way to the floor in slow-motion stitches.

"Ouch! Ok, ok, no more jokes at the bunny's expense," he yipped, rubbing his arm and flashing her a wry grin.

"No more jokes, period!" she huffed, reaching up and pinching one of his sensitive ears, pulling him down to her level to chastise him. "Come on Nick, we have a job to do!"

"Ow ow ow. Alright, alright. Uncle! I'll behave, I promise."

"Good…"

Nick rubbed his pinched ear as he stepped around the desk to help the sloth back to his seat.

"You ok there buddy? Up you get, back in the chair. Alright, let's get back to the real questions."

Judy gave a little "Hmph" as she sat back down in her chair, arms crossed as she waited for the two jesters to resume their places and continue the interview. _'…would they be called boxes or funnies?'_ She blinked in surprise and winced hard, trying to drive that thought back. _'NOT NOW BRAIN!'_

"You ok there, Fluff?" came a concerned voice, "Want to take a break?"

Nick was leaning in, looking at her with some alarm, having evidently caught the wince in her expression.

"Y-y-y-yes, I'm fine Nick!" she stammered, losing her cool at the unexpected proximity of his face to hers. "Just get back on with it!" she cried, thwapping him on the nose with her notepad to fend him off.

Nick winced as the wad of paper hit him and pulled back a little. His ears flicked up as something caught his interest though. He reached out and deftly snatched the notepad from her fingers, examining it.

"Is… is this supposed to be me?" he asked flatly, turning the paper around to display a crudely drawn stick figure fox with a pair of shades on. It looked like a child's handiwork.

"Guess you didn't pay much attention in art class, huh, Carrots?" he teased, turning it back around to examine it again. "Also, what's this you scribbled on the bottom about 'Funny Boxes?'" he asked, examining the paper closely.

 _'Oh crap.'_

"It's… it's what you're going to get locked in if you keep looking for distractions and telling awful jokes!" she stated, snatching the pad back and furiously scribbling out that line, unsure when she even wrote it down. ' _Oh well,_ _idle paws do the devil's work,'_ she mused ruefully, flipping the pad back to the detailed notes she had been taking.

"Ahem. I'm sorry about that _little_ _display_ , Mr. Slothmore," she said, casting a scorching glare at Nick. "My partner can be a bit of a handful, as I'm sure you know."

"That's… quite… alright… Officer… Hopps. Nick… and… I… have… known… eachother… since… highschool… and…"

He wasn't stopping. Judy felt her ears droop again, forcing her expression to remain professional while she toughed this out. None of the obstacles she had faced at the academy could compare to this interview. In fact, she almost preferred being chased by a savage jaguar to this torture. Nick, on the other paw, was openly grinning. They weren't going anywhere soon at this rate…

* * *

 ** _Some hours later…_**

Judy purred quietly to herself as a pleasant sensation ran from the base of her ears down to the tips and then repeated itself. She couldn't place exactly what it was that was making her feel so nice, but it was comfortable, and welcome, and seemed to be accompanied by the familiar scent of a certain fox.

"Mmh, Nick…" she mumbled dreamily. The wonderful sensation on her ears suddenly stopped, causing her to grumble unhappily and slowly open her eyes, a yawn escaping her lips. Lifting her head to look around, she wasn't entirely sure of her surroundings but vaguely recognized the interview room and the desk upon which her head had just been resting. The last thing she clearly remembered was flopping her head into her arms on the table in exasperation after the other two had started in on _another_ string of awful puns.

"Good morning, Carrots," came a cheerful voice in her ear. She gazed in the direction it came from, blurry-eyed, and vaguely made out the shape of her partner sitting right beside her, one arm nonchalantly thrown around the back of her chair and his eyes pointedly fixed the other way, as if he was trying a little too hard to look casual.

"Oh… cheese and crackers, did I fall asleep?" she groaned, rubbing her eyes and trying to shake the fuzziness out of her head.

"Just a little."

"Ugh, the Chief will kill me if he finds out I slept through an interview. Wait… where's Flash?"

Feeling a bit more alert, she finally noticed that she and Nick were alone.

"We got all we needed from him, so I sent him home."

"How long ago was that?" she asked, beginning to sound a little alarmed.

"Oh, maybe ten minutes ago."

"And you just let me sleep!?"

"Hey, you seemed pretty tired. I figured, what with all the hopping about you usually do, you could use a rest. Don't worry, I won't tell Buffalo Butt."

Judy rolled her eyes at Nick's words, but decided to drop the subject rather than make herself a target for further goading.

"Just how long did this interview take anyway?" she asked, stifling another yawn.

"Well, we started around 1100 hours, and it's 1500 now, so… a couple hours?"

"Four hours, Nick, FOUR," She groaned, sitting back in her chair and rubbing her temples wearily.

"I know, right? I was convinced we would be at it for at least six."

"It WOULD have been if you'd kept telling him jokes! Were you _trying_ to keep us from getting any work done?"

"No, not trying, it just comes naturally. Besides, I prefer to think of it as _moderating_ our workload. And hey, glass half-full, we got some pretty solid leads from that interview."

"Ugh," too tired to keep arguing, she let her frame sag against him, her face resting against his chest. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," she said without passion, one fist halfheartedly beating at his upper torso with each iteration of 'hate'.

A sudden loud, angry growl rumbled out of the fox, startling the rabbit and causing her ears to shoot straight up. She nearly fell backwards off the chair as she looked up at the vulpine's face in surprise.

"N-Nick? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Nick was staring back at her, equally surprised. Another growl emanated from the predator, and his lanky arms shot around his midsection to try and stifle the source. Judy was staring up at him now with a look of smug amusement.

"Hey, don't look at me like that, Fluff. All I've had today was a Snarlbucks coffee and a pawpsicle. It's a wonder I'm still standing given how horribly malnourished I am!"

"Uh huh. And whose fault is that?"

"I blame the system."

"Oh, fine. We can break for lunch before we submit our report to the chief. Wouldn't want you going savage and trying to eat me again…"

"Hey, that was one time, with your permission. And honestly, Carrots, after this morning I'm more afraid of YOU eating ME," he jibed back, making a show of clutching his 'injured paw' in mock fear. Judy rolled her eyes again and hopped off the chair. As she did so, the fox's gaze involuntarily dropped to her hips, drawn to the way they swayed as she moved toward the door.

"Come on, Slick, we can go grab a bite from that café you wanted to try around the corner, and you can fill me in on anything I missed while I was out," she said, opening the door and heading out into the corridor.

Nick was lost in thought as he just stared after her, idly thinking to himself, _'I wouldn't mind grabbing a bite of that cute little bunny butt …'_

"You coming or what?" she shot back over her shoulder, causing him briefly to snap out of his reverie.

"Hmm? What? Oh, yeah. You can bet your fluffy tail on it," he muttered thoughtlessly, instantly regretting it as she turned and shot him a stern glare, her paws situated on her hips imposingly. He laid his ears back as he flashed her a wide, apologetic grin, though he still couldn't help inwardly admiring how the intimidating pose also accentuated her lithe figure and wide hips.

Suddenly smirking, she batted her eyelashes, turned away and, in her best sultry voice, replied, "That isn't on the menu, Slick. Yet…" She gave a playful flick of her fluffy little tail, then promptly walked out and around the corner so he wouldn't catch the way she blushed at her own forwardness. Not that he would have noticed the redness above her neck, with his gaze fixated on her tail. Her comment had completely knocked the fox for a loop, and he sat there slack jawed as he watched her go.

It took Nick several seconds to realize he still hadn't moved from his spot, only his paws flexing unconsciously as his lower brain delighted in the idea of touching that little cotton tail. He stared at one empty paw contemplatively, recalling how soft her ears had felt under his digits while stroking them in her sleep, and wondering how much softer that fluffy rear appendage would be to touch.

Clenching his paws into fists and giving his head a vigorous shake to clear those thoughts out, he dismounted the chair and started toward the door, chiding himself internally all the while, _'Not cool, Wilde. She was just teasing. Show the lady some respect, keep your eyes forward, and keep your paws to yourself._ '

That last thought particularly stung as he had been failing miserably at doing just that all day. Something about being around that wonderful little rabbit completely disarmed him of all his inhibitions and carefully crafted walls. And while he was ready to admit (at least to himself) that he was _very_ attracted to the bunny, he wasn't sure what that might mean for the two of them and their friendship. He wasn't sure if she felt the same (the fact they were different species only compounded that worry), or if he even deserved a shot with a mammal like her, and the more he indulged in flirting and teasing with her, the more guilty he was starting to feel about it.

Worse, these conflicted feelings were making him question his reasons for becoming a police officer. He kept telling himself it was so that he could help others and finally be on the right side of the law, but he was starting to wonder whether it was purely so he could have an excuse to be near to the mammal who had helped turn his life around.

Spending the whole morning and afternoon with Judy had only affirmed the fact that he really couldn't get enough of her. He was absolutely smitten with the grey bunny rabbit and the more he thought about it, the more he realized he had been completely taken with her for a long time, starting from the very first time she had hustled him into helping her solve the missing mammal case.

True he hadn't particularly enjoyed being forced to help her out at first, but the longer he spent with her, the more time he _wanted_ to spend with her until the thought of spending a moment without her seemed somehow _wrong_. He didn't know how he would have survived the academy without her constant texts and surprise visits to keep his spirits up, and now that they were reunited and working together, the sense of joy he was experiencing threatened to overwhelm him. He couldn't remember a time when he was ever this happy.

And that was the thing. He was _too_ happy. Happier than he ever thought he deserved to be. And that scared him, because deep down he still saw himself as that no-good hustler fox, and Judy… she was so much more and deserved so much better.

He sighed deeply and pushed those thoughts away for now. Today was nearly over, and he would have time enough to mull over his feelings and the day's events once he was back in his apartment, alone.

Realizing he _still_ hadn't moved from the interview room, he once more assumed his trademark indifferent smirk and headed out the door to re-join his partner.

* * *

Once out in the corridor Nick quickly spotted Judy by Clawhauser's desk and went over to her, just catching the tail-end of their conversation.

"…I still can't believe he was a sloth though! How does he even drive that fast without crashing!?" Benjamin was giggling at Judy.

"Well, according to Nick, his car was custom built to compensate for his species, and apparently…"

"Ahem. Sorry to interrupt, Benny, but this sweet little bunny here promised to buy me lunch, and I intend to collect!"

"I said no such thing!" the bunny cried, whirling on her partner.

"Are you sure? Maybe you were just talking in your sleep…"

"Nick!" she practically hissed at him, willing his silence on that topic.

"Is it coming back to you yet, Fluff?" he asked with a smug grin.

"Oh fine! But you're getting us next time!" she growled, before turning back to Clawhauser all sweetness, "See you in a bit, Ben!"

"Bye you two, enjoy your little lunch date!"

"Benjamin Clawhauser, it is NOT a… ugh, nevermind."

Determined to avoid being further scandalized by the meddling dispatcher, Judy grabbed a surprised Nick by the tie and hurriedly dragged him off towards the main doors without sparing a glance back at the cheetah, who was making cooing noises at them as they went.

* * *

 ** _A/N: End of fluff!_**

 ** _Hope you enjoyed this slightly shorter chapter of plot, puns, and foxy angst. Let me know your thoughts in a comment, review or PM! Next chapter will be muuuuch fluffier._**

 ** _On a slightly more serious note, while I am trying to keep my writing original (he says completely without irony while posting up the four-thousandth Wildehopps fic on this site), I may unintentionally draw on other authors here who have influenced and inspired me to write my own work. If you do notice any ideas that seem to have been pulled from another author without accreditation, please flag them to me in a PM and I will add in credit where it is due._**

 ** _Now, I shall return to this 1kg bar of Dairy Milk chocolate that has miraculously appeared before me…_**


	4. Chapter 4: The Leopard's Spot

**_Good news! ApatheisticDevil's chocolate swirl was not nearly as lethal as first suggested (though I am convinced he is now trying to end me with some sort of giant hershey/smore franken-nom creation)._**

 ** _To celebrate, please find enclosed another gallon of fluff to tide you over until next week._** ** _I have been advised by Dragonfang20 that you can use this stuff as padding for extreme sports, however I am also compelled to add a disclaimer telling you not to do so. (do it anyway!) Also something about how I don't own Zootopia? I do have a copy of Zootopia on Blu-ray though! Does that still count?_**

 ** _ps._** ** _Guitarist Girl, for a romantic song, I am currently quite partial to Versace on the Floor by Bruno Mars, however we aren't quite there yet in the story, and this fic would need a hard M-rating if we go that route! (_** ** _Would the zooified version of "Versace" be "Purrsace"? I'm going to go with yes)._**

 ** _Anyway, Incoming Fluff!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Leopard's Spot**

The place Nick and Judy were walking to was a café on Acacia Street called _The Leopard's Spot_. It was roughly a ten-minute walk from the central plaza and after being sat either in a cruiser or in an interview room all day they both agreed they could use the exercise. The street itself was lined with a variety of shops, cafes and restaurants catering to a variety of mammals of all sizes.

As they walked, Nick explained that _The Leopard's Spot_ was ideal for most mammal sizes, and while most of the patrons to the café were felines (naturally), more often than not there was also a decent mix of other predator and even prey species at all times of day. Therefore, a fox and a bunny would not look too out of place.

He went on to explain that the owner was a melanistic leopardess named Melanie; her parents evidently had quite a sense of humor. Despite her all-black coat, she preferred to be called a leopardess, rather than a pantheress. When asked why, she would give a patient smile and simply state "Because that is what I am, just with one very large spot!" That, incidentally, had been the inspiration for the name of the café.

When Judy asked how Nick knew so much about a mammal and place they had never encountered before, he simply replied with, "I know everyone, Fluff," before raising his phone and adding, "Also, Fursquare and Kiwipedia." That earned him a full eye roll from the bunny.

As they reached the front of the café, their attention was immediately drawn to a large chalkboard sign out in front of the large glass windows with an artfully written scrawl saying _ALL SPECIES WELCOME AND CATERED TO!_ That sign alone was enough to pique Judy's interest, and she was keen to see what kind of food they had that was suitable for both her and her partner.

As it was mid-afternoon the café was relatively quiet with only three tables currently occupied, giving the bunny and fox duo the pick of the seating. They opted for a booth right next to the window, affording them a view of both the street and the lovely decor of the place.

The interior of _The Leopard's Spot_ café had a rustic feel with wooden flooring and tables and brown pleather-bound seats in the booths. The smooth concrete walls were hand-painted in orange pastel shades to give the impression of being surrounded by untouched savanna at sunrise. The most impressive part of the decor was a well-preserved baobab tree situated in the very center of the room, its branches cleverly merging into the ceiling, which had been painted in several brilliant shades of green to give the impression of a vibrant canopy overhead. A circular bar had been constructed around the trunk of the tree, along with a variety of appliances built into the bar or placed in carefully carved hollows in the tree trunk, providing all of the required amenities for a fully functioning café. The only other tell-tale sign of modernity was a small television mounted into the wall, currently tuned to the main news channel.

Presently, the leopardess owner stood at the bar in polite discussion with a kudu employee in a brown apron. Upon seeing the uniformed pair enter and take their seat, her eyes lit up and she excused herself to go welcome the two ZPD officers personally.

"Welcome to _The Leopard's Spot_ , officers. My name is Melanie, the owner, and…" The leopardess paused as her eyes flashed with recognition at the rabbit. "Why, you must be Officer Judy Hopps! It is an honor to have you and your colleague here." Melanie's voice was a gentle, musical purr with just a touch of an accent that reminded Judy of Gazelle, and her words held nothing but delight at the discovery of Zootopia's first rabbit cop in her establishment.

Judy smiled sheepishly at the big cat. As much as she strove to be a role model, she was none too fond of the celebrity she had earned, especially since much of it had come from that disastrous press conference half a year ago. This unfortunately made her especially wary when it came to predators recognizing her. Many had focused their anger at her for being the harbinger of the chaos and open discrimination that hit the city in the wake of what she had said then. Thankfully, Melanie did not seem the least bit concerned about any of that as she eagerly reached forward and took the bunny's paw in her own much larger one, giving it a gentle squeeze. Nick just sat there patiently, deriving some amusement from the rabbit's discomfort.

" _Conejita Valiente_ , you have done so much to help the predators of this city," the big cat continued, "We were so relieved when we found out that whole savage thing was not our fault, and you were the one who brought the truth to light!"

"Thank you, ma'am," Judy said quietly, blushing thoroughly at the high praise. She wanted to say something - anything - to deflect the attention she was getting, but she always felt like a deer in the headlights (no offense intended to any deer) when it came to star-struck fans.

"This is a beautiful place you have here. Did you do the painting yourself?" observed Nick, finally coming to his partner's rescue.

"Why thank you, Officer, yes I did! My family is from the savanna so I wanted to recreate a little piece of that in the city. I am glad you like it, and… oh, but where are my manners? I'm sorry, you aren't here to listen to me talk. I will have Cassandra come over and take your orders right away!"

With that, the feline turned off gracefully to go find the waitress. Judy seemed a little dazed as she watched the proprietress go.

"Famous Bunny," said the fox, while casually thumbing at his phone.

"Slow Fox! You could have jumped in sooner…"

"And rob you of your adoring public? I would never," he said flippantly, still focused on the device in his paws.

"Ugh, I hate that kind of attention."

"Oh, I know."

"Then why?"

"Gotta get my kicks somehow. Here's a good one." He promptly sat upright and showed her his phone screen, displaying a photo of Judy just moments ago, her eyes wide and teeth on full display in a terrified rictus over her inability to get rid of the unwanted attention. That damned fox had been snapping shots of her the whole time!

She lunged across the table to snatch the phone, but he had already pulled it out of her reach, quickly keying the screen in a few deft movements.

"Aaand, sent."

"You didn't…" she hissed.

"Sorry Fluff, Clawhauser has a pool going for the best pic of our resident celebrity officer with her fans, and that one's a horseshoe-in to win."

"You're not serious…"

He just gave her a wide grin and slipped his phone back into its pocket.

"…I am so tranq'ing you when we get back to the precinct," she huffed, crossing her arms and sitting back, staring out of the window while trying to keep her face unreadable.

"Temper temper, Carrots," he teased, only to be ignored. The silence stretched awkwardly between them and the smirk he had been wearing since the precinct started to falter as he caught a flicker of hurt in her expression. He had really gotten to her with that one. His ears fell back penitently and he was about to reach across and apologize when a perky voice to the side startled both of them out of their moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Hi there, officers! I'm your waitress, Cassie."

Standing beside them was a smiling red fox vixen, wearing a salmon pink apron over a simple light-weight shirt and comfortable black trousers. She was about a head shorter than Nick with lighter fur coloring and soft brown eyes, and looked to be about the same age as Judy. Currently she was holding a notepad and looking back and forth at the pair, giving them both a warm smile. Something in the way her eyes lingered on Nick though caused the fur on the back of Judy's neck to stand on end.

"Well hello there, Cassie, I'm Officer Wilde, and this is Officer Fluff." The vixen giggled politely as Judy shot her partner a death glare, which he pointedly avoided.

"What can I get you, Officers?"

"I'll take the cicada burger with cricket chips. Oh, and a grasshopper shake," the fox quickly requested. Judy cringed at the sheer number of bugs in that order then shot Nick a questioning look.

"What? I read the reviews, it's the best thing on the menu apparently. For preds anyway."

Judy shook her head and turned to the waitress, "Can I have a menu please?"

The vixen tore her eyes off Nick – the bunny's hackles went up again on noticing that – and gave Judy an apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry, how forgetful of me! Here," she produced a tidy little menu from her apron pocket, appropriately sized for mammals of Judy's size, and handed it over. "I am still quite new. Please don't tell Mel I forgot to give you your menus!" the Vixen confided in the other female.

"Don't worry, I think you are doing a wonderful job," said Nick congenially and giving her a wink. The vixen relaxed and gave another musical giggle. Judy ground her teeth and focused on the menu in her paws.

"Why thank you, Officer Wilde."

"Call me Nick."

"Nick." She repeated with a smile. "I hope you don't mind my saying so, Nick, but it's so wonderful to see a fellow vulpine in ZPD blues."

"I don't mind at all," he said politely.

"My nephew wants to be a police officer when he grows up too, but I never thought it was actually possible for… well, for our kind! You are the first I have ever heard of."

"Why, yes I am the first," Nick replied, still maintaining the polite façade, "First ever fox, on my first day."

"Is that right?" she giggled again, holding her notepad to her chest and swishing her tail demurely. Judy was burning a hole in her menu with the laser-like focus of her gaze.

"If it isn't too much to ask… could I… could we take a selfie together?" she asked, peeking up at him from under long eyelashes. "For my nephew," she added unconvincingly.

Judy was gritting her teeth so hard, she almost missed the hesitation in Nick's voice.

"Uh, sure! Why not?"

With no further warning, the lithe vixen turned and sat on the edge of the chair, the side of her hip pressed against Nick's as she produced a much older version iCarrot smart phone and turned the camera on them. Sitting stiffly, Nick unhooked his sunglasses from his shirt pocket and placed them on his muzzle, hiding the strained look in his eyes as he forced a wide smile.

He chanced a glance over at Judy, half expecting her to have her phone out taking some revenge snaps of his predicament. Instead she was just glaring at her menu like it had broken every law imaginable. The vixen's voice snapped his gaze back onto the phone in her paw.

"Hi Tommy!"

 _'_ _Oh, great! She's taking a video…'_ The fake grin plastered on his muzzle cracked wider, showing more teeth than he intended.

"Look who I bumped into at my new job! This handsome vulpine is Officer Nick and he's a police officer, just like you want to be some day! Say hi, Nick!"

"Hi Nick," came the unenthusiastic reply.

"See, you really can be anything you want, Tomtom. Make sure you do your homework and say hi to your mommy for me! Love you, kit!"

She blew a kiss into the phone and then ended the recording, lingering at Nick's side while taking her time to hit send. He was trying very hard not to breath in too deeply; the scent of her attraction was unmistakable. He was given a reprieve as the vixen stood and turned once more to face the table.

"Thank you so much. He'll be thrilled!"

"I'm sure he will," Nick replied, barely keeping the exasperation out of his voice. The vixen still had her phone out though and was biting her lower lip hesitantly while glancing up at him. _'Please don't ask for my number. Please don't ask for my number...'_

"Uhm, I know this is sudden but, could I…"

"I'd like to order now, please," came a terse voice across the table.

 _'_ _Hallelujah.'_

"Oh, uhm, of course, Officer," replied the vixen, looking a little put-out as she returned her phone to her pocket and brought out the notepad again to take Judy's order.

"I'll have the pomegranate, pear, and avocado salad. Please." Judy was a picture of indifference, her paws folded on the table as she made her order. "And a carrot juice." Nick's smirk returned, _'…there it is. Always with the carrots.'_

"Okie doke. I'll be right back with your orders," came Cassie's bubbly response. With a flick of her tail and one last lingering look for Nick, the vixen sashayed off toward the kitchen. Nick watched her go, his eyes instinctively drawn to the sway of her hips.

As Cassie vanished out of sight, Nick turned back to see his partner giving him an unimpressed look, akin to the once she gave him all those months ago before 'booting his stroller', as he had put it then. He was suddenly overcome with an urge to apologize, but he wasn't exactly sure what for.

"Hey, thanks for the save there, Carrots. So that's what 'being famous' feels like, huh?" he said with an uncharacteristically nervous grin.

"You didn't seem in any rush to talk your way out of that one, Slick," she said, using the tone she usually reserved for interrogating suspects.

"Well, I didn't want to be rude to _my_ adoring public."

"Uh huh. Speaking of adoring, if she had been hanging off you any closer, I would have had to arrest the both of you for public indecency," she said with an edge to her voice.

"Why, Carrots… are you jealous?" he asked jovially. The unfiltered look of hurt she gave him made him immediately regret his words.

She glanced aside, desperately trying to school her face back to indifference as she spat back, "And why would I be jealous of you and some… vixen?"

Another long, uncomfortable silence stretched between the two, Judy wringing her paws and staring intently out the window and chiding herself, _'Get it together, Judy. He's a fox. He's SUPPOSED to be interested in other foxes.'_ Nick meanwhile twiddling his thumbs as he studied her face, weighing his options for a response. Eventually however it was Judy who broke the silence, keeping her eyes trained on the street.

"I'm sorry, Nick. I just… I'm not sure what's come over me today."

"First day jitters?" he asked playfully.

"That's supposed to be you, not me," she replied softly.

"Well, it's _our_ first day as partners, so you're allowed to have them too," he said matter-of-factly.

"Maybe," she murmured.

"Come on, Fluff, what's eating you?" he asked, a hint of genuine concern in his voice. He wasn't sure if pushing her more was a good idea at this point, but he couldn't stand seeing her like this. "You sure you're not regretting accepting a sly fox as your partner?" he asked, only half-jokingly.

"Never." She stated firmly, finally turning to look him in the eyes again to show her resolve. Nick felt a previously unnoticed ache in his chest easing as they shared that look and both visibly relaxed. Similarly, Judy could feel the tender warmth in her partner's gaze, and her features softened into a gentle smile as her mood lifted.

"Maybe I'm just biding my time and waiting to take my revenge on you for all your relentless teasing?" she quipped, baring her teeth as if they were fangs and taking a measure of delight in the way the fox slightly recoiled, his ears and hackles standing on end.

"Point taken!" he laughed nervously, though not for the reason she suspected. The thought of her biting him again had elicited some unexpected thoughts that he had to fight down. "Though, I'm not surprised you'd want another nibble of this _handsome vulpine_ ," he teased.

"In your dreams, Romeo," she chuckled, rolling her eyes and giving him a light kick under the table. _'And mine too…'_ she guiltily thought.

Nick made a show of wincing dramatically as her foot connected with his shin. He gave a small laugh, relieved that the air between them had been cleared.

"So what, _prey_ tell, had my cute little hare in such a huff?" he joked, earning a scornful look and another, harder kick to the shin. That one actually hurt a little.

"Firstly, don't call me cute!"

Kick.

"Secondly, I'm a rabbit, not a hare. Learn the difference you… you _ignoramus_!'

Kick.

"Thirdly, stop taking those pictures of me!"

KICK.

"And… and FOURTHLY… look at that!"

Nick reflexively winced as he expected another blow to his now aching shin, but instead saw her pointing over his shoulder. He kept his face forward and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, I'm not falling for that one, fluff," he responded with a smirk, fully expecting her to just give him another boot to the shin while he was craning his neck around to look behind him.

"No, really Nick. Look, the SWAT team is on TV! Excuse me? Sir? Can you turn that up please?"

The kudu at the cash register looked over to her with a bored expression, then at the TV on the wall, then took his time finding the remote so that he could increase the volume.

While Judy impatiently watched the Kudu moving with all the alacrity of a sloth with a cold, Nick suddenly stood, maneuvered around the table and parked himself right beside her, their sides touching as they now shared the booth seat.

"Nickwhatareyoudoing!?" she exclaimed in a tiny voice at the sudden closeness.

"Looking, like you asked," he replied simply, "Better view from this side of the table, after all. Why, do you want me to get a crick in my neck?"

"No…" she murmured shyly.

"Well, alright then," he said, sparing her a speculative glance. Despite him intruding on the spot where she had been sitting, she had only moved enough so that he could sit comfortably on the edge of the chair. Her hip was pressed to his, and both her paws had come up to rest against his side as she ever-so-slightly leaned into him.

Judy's nose twitched as she sat so close to the fox, drawing in his familiar, musky scent. She knew she shouldn't crowd him and was expecting any second to hear him politely say to her, _'Mind giving me some space, Fluff?'_ but there was something so reassuring about being this close to him that, despite her growing embarrassment, she couldn't bring herself to separate from him just yet.

Nick swallowed as he felt Judy lean in _closer_. Once again he'd given into the temptation to close the distance with her, but she hadn't pulled away as he expected she would. _'Real smooth, Slick. Now what?'_ he asked himself, adjusting his uniform black tie with his outside arm as he felt the temperature in the room increase. He glanced down at her again before thinking, _'Ah, the hell with it,'_ and throwing his arm around her in a gentle embrace.

Judy meeped softly as she felt that lanky russet limb sweep around her shoulders and pull her closer. She tensed up only briefly before melting into him, her worries once more evaporating as she buried her face into his shirt for the second time today. She could feel his heartbeat against her cheek and it caused her to purr and snuggle in against him a little closer.

With half her face pressed into his side, she only had one eye free to gaze at her surroundings. Thankfully they were out of sight of any other patrons, and the waitress and owner must have been in the back right now. Nick, for his part, was intently studying the TV screen as if nothing unusual was going on between them, and this brought the rabbit to refocus on the screen too, just as the kudu at the bar finally found the volume control.

 _"…_ _was the scene on the Tundra Town dockside this morning as a group of armed mammals opened fire on the ZPD's SWAT team, in the midst of a sting operation against a local gang responsible for a string of violent jewelry heists which have left multiple casualties in the last few weeks, and one mammal still in critical condition."_

The TV screen displayed a birds-eye view of a closed street with the armored swat van at the entrance, and a smaller van parked at the dead end. They had the armed thieves cornered. Judy could make out the distinct shapes of four ZPD offers in full SWAT gear – a polar bear, a tiger, a lion and a rhinoceros – facing off against six mammals comprised mostly of polar bears and arctic wolves armed with actual _guns_. SWAT were still usually only issued tranquilizers; only the TUSK force were routinely armed with live ammunition.

Presently, the four ZPD officers were pinned down under heavy gunfire, and she had to remind herself that this was footage from much earlier in the day, probably while she and Nick were off hunting down their street racer. The SWAT used a separate dispatch channel, hence why they probably hadn't heard anything at the time. Thankfully, Clawhauser had already told her the team had returned from their assignment, though he didn't mention if there were any injuries.

"Hmm… Grizzoli, Fangmeyer, Delgato," muttered Nick, remembering the officers assigned to SWAT that morning, not envying their being in the line of fire. "Who's the fourth?"

"The Rhino? That's Lieutenant Krumpanski. He leads the Tundra Town SWAT division," she said with undisguised envy. She was desperate to be included on a SWAT assignment, a sentiment that Nick decidedly did not share in. He had been in a few situations where guns had been pointed in his direction during his hustler days, and he was in no hurry to put himself in that situation again of his own volition.

"Wait, Krumpanski?" the fox asked, turning to glance down at the bunny nestled into his side. "I remember hearing that name at the academy. Is this the same guy?"

Judy's gaze was riveted to the screen, but her cheeks flushed warmly as she felt Nick's eyes briefly fall on her. "If you mean the _Krumpanski Maneuver_ , then I think we're about to be in for a treat!" she said, her voice growing excited as she patted him on the side and pointed back at the screen.

Nick glanced back up to see the rhino had stepped out of the cover of the van, a giant bulletproof shield with ZPD SWAT painted across the front held in either stumpy hoof. Forming a wedge with the two shields, bullets deflected around the megafaunal mammal as he started to plod towards the van on the far side of the street. That plodding step turned into a lumbering trot, then accelerated to a full stampede.

Even from the eye in the sky camera it was clear the six perps were panicking as the giant ZPD officer lurched toward them, moving for cover behind their van and fruitlessly emptying their magazines at the oncoming juggernaut. At the last possible second, Krumpanski's shields parted, and a long, menacing horn jutted forward just as he rammed into the side of the van with his full momentum.

Both Nick and Judy winced at the ensuing carnage. The six armed mammals went scattering like bowling pins, each flying in a different direction from the impact. Before they could recover from the concussive force that had just floored them, the remaining SWAT moved up and darted them. None of them stirred again after that, and the team quickly secured the perps and their weapons. The getaway van meanwhile had flipped onto its roof, a dent in the side so deep it looked like the vehicle had been nearly folded in half.

 _"_ _As you can see, the ZPD SWAT team were able to successfully apprehend the criminals. The ZPD are yet to release a statement regarding whether this was the whole gang, or if we can expect more violent robberies in the near future…"_

The two cops sat back in their chairs as the newscaster moved onto another news story about the ministry of waterworks in the Rainforest district, and they didn't need the kudu to lower the volume to tune that one out.

"You know, most mammals would usually try to run _away_ from the bullets, not _towards_ them," remarked Nick, trying to imagine what would possess anyone, even a Rhino, from doing such a thing.

"I know, right! That's why it's such an effective tactic!"

"Reckless, more like. Bet they suspended him the first time he tried that stunt," the fox murmured disapprovingly.

"True, but then they pinned a medal to his chest for it the week after that," she replied defensively.

"Seems a bit much to go through for a medal, Fluff…"

"Maybe, but he took down the perps and no-one got seriously hurt. Well, no-one who wasn't violently resisting arrest, anyway!" she added with a macabre grin.

"Yikes. Well don't go getting any ideas, Carrots. You may be tough, but you're no rhino," he said, giving her an affectionate squeeze.

"No promises," she purred, cuddling him back. "And hey, don't forget I took down a rhino by myself back in the academy!"

"So did I. Don't want to think about how many tries it took though!"

Judy giggled openly and pressed her cheek against Nick's side again, enjoying his warmth and his reassuring scent. Nick smiled down at her warmly and let his paw venture up to stroke the base of her ears, eliciting another contented purr from the bunny. Her eyes shot open briefly and she stared up at him scrutinizingly.

"Nick… were you stroking my ears in the precinct while I was asleep?"

He stopped his current ministrations on her ears and gave her a sheepish grin.

"Uhm… I plead the fifth?"

She thumped him solidly on the side, winding him slightly and causing him to grimace.

"Bad fox. You shouldn't do that without my permission," she growled.

"…Sorry," he murmured, withdrawing his paw from her head and staring at the appendage as if it deserved to be amputated for so offending.

Judy felt a pang of guilt at Nick's reaction and regret at the loss of his touch. Setting her paws in her lap and studying them intently, she withdrew a little as well, speaking softly into her chest, her voice full of uncertainty, "No it's not really _bad_ bad! It's just that… maybe the station isn't an appropriate place?"

"What do you mean, fluff?" he asked, his uncertainty matching her own. She grit her teeth, not entirely sure what she meant either, but determined to try and resolve this.

"Well… I didn't tell you to stop just _now_ , did I?" she said with a blush, her ears twitching against her back. Nick smiled softly and promptly resumed his action on her ears, much to her delight. The rabbit immediately melted back into the fox's flank, her already confused line of thought growing hazier by the second.

"As for your shenanigans in the precinct… we'll have some serious words about that… but… maybe later…" she trailed off, nuzzling into his side again and losing herself in the moment. Despite herself, she seemed to have completely forgotten she was on duty and was acting like a hopeless teenager with a crush. Not that Nick seemed to mind.

"Anything you say fluff," he murmured happily, leaning a little closer as he lost himself in the moment too.

* * *

Cassandra double-checked the slip of paper in her paw to ensure she had scrawled her number down correctly and legibly. It was only natural that an eligible young vixen like her would take an interest in an upright todd like Officer Nicholas Wilde – it gave her a thrill to think of him with his full title – so she didn't know why _that bunny_ would try to get in their way! Couldn't she smell the attraction coming off the fox? Cassie certainly could when she sat beside him. That, coupled with Nick's awkwardness when she had rubbed against him, only served to confirm her hope that the attraction was mutual.

Folding the note in her paw, she lifted the tray with their orders and backed through the swing doors from the kitchen into the main room, a wide, hopeful smile on her face. She very nearly dropped the tray when she turned and beheld the sight of the two uniformed mammals sharing a more-than-friendly looking cuddle in the same seat. It took her several moments of gawking at the pair before it dawned on her that the attraction she scented from the fox might not have been directed toward her after all.

"Cassandra? Is something the matter?"

The vixen turned and nearly tipped her tray in surprise at that soft voice so close to her. Melanie was standing just off to the side, looking over the vixen with concern; the pantheress never ceased to amaze with her ability to sneak up on her employees. Cassie gave her boss a pained look, then let her eyes fall back to the table she was serving. Melanie followed the vixen's gaze and a brief look of surprise, then understanding, and finally sympathy playing across her feline features.

"Cassandra, _mi pobre cachorrita_ , I am so sorry. Do you want me to take their order in your stead?"

"No, Mel, thank you. I can handle it. I'm just being a silly little fox, as usual! Please, don't worry about me…"

The vixen forced a smile, but unlike Nick she rarely made any effort to hide her feelings, so her expression was rather strained as she headed toward the table.

Judy was the first to see the waitress approaching and visibly stiffened, but did not pull away from her partner. Embarrassment over being seen made her want to pull away, but an irrational and overpowering sense of possessiveness kept her at his side in the face of what felt like a rival for his attention. Nick could feel her small paws clutching tighter on his shirt, and became aware of the vixen too.

"Hey there, Officers," chirped the Vixen in a too-enthusiastic tone of voice, "We've got a cicada burger, cricket chips and grasshopper shake for Officer Wilde! Aaaand a pomegranate, pear, and avocado salad, with a carrot juice for Officer Hopps!"

"Thank you, Cassie," the fox said, looking over his plate and accompanying shake as it was placed in front of him. The strong odor of the protein-rich meal caused him to involuntarily salivate, and Judy couldn't help but giggle at the hungry expression on her partner's face. Reluctantly, she detached herself from his side so that he could dig into his food.

Judy turned her attention to the waitress and felt a wave of embarrassment hit her as the vixen stared at her hesitantly, still holding onto her order. With a blur of grey fur the bunny slipped under the table and hopped back up on the opposite side, taking Nick's original seat and folding her paws on the table in front of her as if she had always been sitting there. A colorful bowl of mixed vegetables and fruits was placed in front of her along with a tall glass of juice and she couldn't help but similarly salivate at the rich offering. Before she could attack it with a similar vigor to the fox's, a quiet but urgent voice spoke in her ear.

"Um… Officer Hopps?"

The rabbit started a little and turned to see the waitress standing right by her seat, an intent expression on her face.

"Yes?" the bunny replied cautiously.

"Can I speak to you for a moment? Alone? Please?"

Unsure of the vixen's intentions, Judy sat up straighter and automatically began analyzing her behavior, quickly deciding that she was coming across as more than a little suspicious. She noticed the strained expression, slumped shoulders, the agitated flick of her tail and the piece of paper partially concealed in the vixen's paw. She also noted the frequent sidelong glances toward the fox, who was currently devouring his burger and cricket chips like they were still alive and could escape at any moment. The bunny shuddered slightly and pushed THAT image out of her mind while she maintained her focus on the vixen.

"Sure, we can talk. Nick, don't wait for… ugh, nevermind." The fox wasn't waiting for anything, his attention completely focused on laying waste to his meal. She had to remind herself that he really hadn't had anything substantial to eat that morning, though _why_ he hadn't was another question that intrigued her, but she would leave that for another time. For now, the vixen had piqued her curiosity, and Judy was never one to back down from a potential mystery.

Hopping off her seat, she followed Cassie around to an empty corner of the café, just out of sight of the fox. The vixen turned and gazed down at the rabbit with that same hesitant look she saw on witnesses who were reluctant to give testimony. Her police training kicked in.

"Ma'am, there's no need to be concerned. Any information you divulge to the ZPD will be taken in the strictest confidence."

Cassie tilted her head at the bunny curiously, taking a second to comprehend what she was being told before her eyebrows shot up and she shook her head vigorously.

"Oh, no no no, it's nothing like that. Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest a crime was committed! I mean, not a real crime anyway…"

Judy raised one eyebrow but kept her posture neutral, allowing the nervous vixen to continue.

"…I just, I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. I didn't realize… I mean, I only just now saw the two of you together like that, so I hadn't guessed that you and Ni- Officer Wilde were an item…" she whispered, softly enough that Nick, thoroughly enthralled with his burger, wouldn't be able to overhear.

 _Oh._

Judy's other eyebrow tilted up to join its cousin in pointing towards the ceiling, accompanied by her ears which shot up and started to turn redder and redder with every word the vixen spoke. The bunny held up one small digit to correct the vulpine. "A-actually, Cassie…"

"Please, it's not a big deal! It just surprised me. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. My cousin is dating a wolf and they are so lovely together. And, I mean, I can see why you would like Nick – I mean Officer Wilde. He's just so handsome in that uniform…"

Judy could feel her face growing hotter and hotter, and was about to explode when that last remark prompted her to glance back and peek around the corner at her partner. Thankfully he was no longer scoffing down his food like a starving mammal, but she almost wished he still was because It would have distracted her from noticing – _really noticing_ – just how right Cassie was. A familiar feeling of pride and adoration blossomed in her chest, calling forth the memory of Nick's graduation day and the sight of him in his dress blues. Only now, she finally noticed that her pride and adoration had been barely concealing her attraction for the male, too.

"So I… uhm, I'm sorry if I… well, I mean… I didn't know, so… please don't think ill of me. I would never try to get between anyone. Another one of my cousins did that and it was awful for everyone involved. In fact…"

Judy had tuned out the vixen at this point and was just staring at the mammal sat a few feet away, his attention now switched to his phone as he casually thumbed through an app, a rare unguarded smile on his lips. Sunlight streaming through the window behind him causing his russet fur to glow around the edges like a sunset; he looked radiant in that moment and the warmth blossoming in the bunny's chest completely disarmed her. So the vixen's next words almost bowled her over.

"You make a beautiful couple."

Judy snapped back to Cassie, her grey fur doing precious little to conceal the painfully obvious blush.

"We're…. we're not a couple!" was all the bunny managed to stammer out, her eyes wide with fright. She had faced down violent thugs a hundred times her size without once backing down, but this tiny vixen had her wanting to flee the building in a blind panic.

"It's ok! Really, please, I understand if you want to keep it secret. I won't say anything. Though, you might want to pick a more private booth next time…" the vixen giggled softly with that last remark. Judy's exasperation finally won out – in no small part helped by that twinge of sadness from earlier returning and hitting her a little harder, snapping her out of her embarrassed stupor.

"Thank you, Cassie, but… it's not what you think. Really."

"It… it isn't?" the vixen seemed taken aback and confused.

"We're… we're just really good friends."

"…you're not, um, _intimate_ then?"

"NO!" Judy squeaked loudly, earned a few glances from the few other patrons, and from Nick who was now leaning out of the booth to study the two of them.

"No," she repeated, more quietly, "It's nothing like that. He's my best friend."

"Oh…? OH! So is _that_ why you are so protective of him?"

"I… I guess? Yes, yes that's exactly it."

"Well…" Cassie hesitated and stole another look at the fox before nodding to herself.

"I know this might be a bit odd, but I respect you looking out for him, so…" The vixen took a long breath and held out the note in her hand to the bunny. "If you think it isn't a bad idea, could you give him my number?"

Judy stared in shock at the piece of paper being offered to her. Her first thought was to exclaim that she wasn't Nick's mother and he could date whoever he wanted, but she knew she had already backed herself into this corner and further arguing would only make things worse. Picking up on the bunny's indecision, Cassie continued, speaking hastily.

"Only if it wouldn't be weird! You can throw it away if you don't want to give it to him! I won't be mad. I just… I mean, if you guys aren't dating or anything… I… I would like to at least give him the option. I mean, I could tell he was attracted to someone, and I thought it might be you just now, but if it isn't then maybe he really did like me..."

She took a shuddering breath, betraying exactly how nervous she was.

"I'm sorry, I'm babbling. Please, Judy… may I call you that? Please just consider giving it to him?"

The vixen's paw was shaking, but her eyes were determined, and it made the rabbit a little envious of how brave she was being by putting her feelings on the line like this. It was clear Cassandra had picked up that, for whatever reason, Judy didn't appreciate her earlier advances on Nick, and yet she trusted that the bunny was just exercising good judgement and protecting her partner.

It made Judy sick to her stomach to look at herself in that moment and see the truth of it – how unreasonably jealous she was acting – when she really wasn't in a relationship with Nick at all, no matter how much that little voice in the back of her head was screaming that she should be. And maybe she was right, maybe Nick WAS attracted to the vixen. Ignoring that little voice for now, Judy steeled herself to apologize to the vixen and to do right by her.

"I'm the one who should be sorry, Cassandra. Of course I'll take it. And yes, you can call me Judy," she finally replied, giving the vixen a genuine smile and clasping her larger paw in two smaller ones. "I… I can't promise he'll call you back for sure, but I do promise you that I'll talk to him for you and… and if he's interested I'll give him your number."

It hurt to speak those words knowing what they could mean for her own prospects, but Judy forced herself to keep smiling, feeling that this was the right thing to do. As she grasped the note from Cassandra's paw, the vixen's other paw came up and held both of hers, giving them a friendly squeeze, her brown eyes full of appreciation for the bunny.

"Thank you so much, Judy. I know I'm asking a lot, and I'll try not to get my hopes up, but… thank you. Please don't let me keep you from your meal a moment longer. Mel will be really mad at me for being so selfish with a customer!" she giggled softly and Judy giggled back out of courtesy, hating herself all the while. The bunny decided right then that she wasn't particularly fond of giggling vixens. Fortunately Cassandra chose that moment to sashay back to the kitchen, leaving Judy to return to her table, and to Nick.

Yes, she was decidedly against these bubbly, giggly, sashaying vixens with nice figures and big brown eyes and their hearts worn plainly on their sleeves. She just hoped that Nick was against them too. She had a sinking feeling that he might not be.

"So, have a nice chat?"

Judy blinked and looked up at Nick. At some point she had auto-piloted back to the table and had begun prodding at her salad unenthusiastically, completely oblivious to the look her partner had been giving her the whole time.

"Yeah… just some girl talk," she explained, keeping her eyes trained on her food.

"Didn't realize you'd become friends already, Carrots."

"Well, you know how friendly we country bunnies are! Always meeting new people!" she exclaimed, taking a sip of her carrot juice.

"Oh I know, Fluff. I just got the impression you didn't like her very much."

She spluttered into her glass, coughing as she set it down and wiped a few dangling drops of orange fluid from her whiskers.

"Oh, no, she's lovely, just a bit of a misunderstanding. All cleared up now, really! How's your burger?"

The fox smirked across at his partner. Of all her qualities, he adored how intelligent, determined and straightforward she was – also how very cute she was too – and she was a great hustler and a decent enough little actress when the need arose. However, she was a terrible liar.

"The burger's great. Four out of four stars. So what were you two girls so keen to talk about that had you staring this way the whole time?"

Judy felt a tremor of anxiety run through her at the thought of having to fulfill her promise to the vixen _right now_. She bit her lip and stared down at her lap, knowing she was about to lose her composure if this kept up.

"Nick, please… can we drop this? I promise I'll explain it properly later, but… now's not the right time." Her voice was small, and she was starting to tremble. Nick's sly smirk dropped immediately and he reached across the table to touch her paw, which was still hovering aimlessly over her salad. Eyes glistening, she looked up at him and was immediately caught in the tender look he was giving her.

"Alright," came the fox's gentle response. That one word unambiguously conveyed that, for all his teasing, when it really mattered he wouldn't press her and would wait as long as she needed. And just like that the feeling of anxiety vanished, leaving her marveling at how he was capable of calming her with just a word, a touch, and a look.

"So, shall we eat?" he asked, withdrawing his paw and nodding at her bowl. Judy smiled, looking at the half-eaten burger in front of him.

"Yes, let's _eat_. No more inhaling your food! You'd think you were starving the way you attacked that poor innocent burger."

"Ha ha," he said sardonically, smirking at her. She caught a flicker of something in his eyes, but it was gone as soon as she noticed, and he was already absorbed in finishing his meal. ' _I hope he is getting enough to eat…'_ she worried briefly, before realizing just how much she sounded like her mother and pushing that thought away.

From that point on they ate in relative quiet, though this time it was a comfortable silence that neither minded very much. She remembered that he still needed to clue her into any details she had missed during the interview while she was… out of action… but decided to leave it until they were back at the station. She paid up for the meal, as promised, and they headed out, giving a wave to the proprietress as they went.

"Please do come again soon, Officers!" the melanistic leopardess called after them.

Judy noticed the vixen peeking out of the kitchen too, watching them go and waving hopefully to the bunny, who returned the gesture with a rueful smile. Judy would absolutely keep her promise, but she wasn't looking forward to it. Maybe if she just did it quickly and got it over with? ' _Yes, better sooner than later.'_ She abruptly made up her mind to do this now, before she lost her nerve.

"Um… Nick?" she grabbed his paw and stopped him in the street, causing him to spin around, a surprised look on his muzzle. Unfortunately, her good intentions flew off into the clouds as she felt him squeeze her paw and not let go. She had to bite back a soft whimper at how _right_ it felt to just hold onto his paw like that.

"Yes, Carrots?" he asked, gazing down at her curiously.

She struggled to bring her mind back on task. _'Cheese and crackers I am acting like such a ditz today, why can't I just… just…'_ Her train of thought derailed completely as her eyes met his and she was treated to the sight of the most handsome mammal she had ever met silhouetted against the setting sun, the edges of his irises sparkling like emeralds and his fur glowing as if it had been spun out of the reddening sky itself.

Nick wasn't sure exactly what was going on now, but as she reached her other paw up he caught it gently in his so that they now stood facing eachother and holding both paws. He felt his heart racing along with his thoughts, desperately fighting down those wild urges and inappropriate images that threatened to form from this unusually intimate contact. He knew he needed to break away before he did something he would probably regret, but wasn't sure how to manage it without shutting her out entirely.

"Judy…?"

"Yes?"

"Why are we stopping?" he asked, slightly strained.

She blinked, as if unsure of the answer herself.

"I… um…" Nope, it was gone. Why had she stopped him again? She wanted to growl in frustration at herself for so completely losing her focus. Part of her wanted to blame Nick too for being so…. distracting! But that wasn't fair. This was her problem and she needed to get a grip on herself, otherwise this really would start to impact her ability to do her job!

First, though, she needed to get herself out of this little _situation_ she'd put them in before she got lost in his eyes again.

He was smirking at her now, evidently enjoying the various expressions she was going through and finding it all very cute. _'Ooh, I just want to wipe that smirk off his muzzle sometimes!'_ She blinked and looked a little closer at his face, noticing something she hadn't before. He really had attacked that burger and there was just a little bit of sauce at the corner of his mouth. ' _That'll work.'_

"It's not much, Slick, you've just got a little something on you…" she smirked back at him and pointed at the offending stain on his muzzle.

"Oh," the fox said, looking a little abashed and stepping back to rub at his mouth. Judy let out a relieved sigh and thanked the merciful heavens as their paws disengaged.

"Did I get it?" And there he was again, leaning entirely too close to her to give her another look at his face.

"Nope," she replied, trying not to either melt at the knees or run for the hills.

"Now?" he asked after another swipe of his muzzle, leaning even closer this time. She could swear he was doing this on purpose.

"No…"

"How about now."

 _'_ _Argh, dumb fox why do you do this!?'_

"Hang on, let me just…"

Reaching up on her tiptoes, she brushed gently at his muzzle with the back of her paw to wipe away the offending stain. With each gentle swipe, her paw lingered longer and longer, her willpower ebbing further and further towards nothing. Her paw now resting on his cheek – when had he leaned down so close to her face? – she found herself straining on her tiptoes, her lips quivering with anticipation.

 _'_ _This is it, I can't take this anymore. I'm just going to do it!'_ came her frantic thought as she tilted her mouth up towards his.

Nick similarly found himself leaning closer and closer to the bunny. How had she pulled him in so close without him noticing? His mind kept drawing a blank as he tried to piece this all together. It didn't help that all around them the windows of every café and restaurant were being cast in brilliant red and gold hues by the setting sunlight, creating a fiery contrast with the luminous silver fur of the slender bunny before him and drawing particular attention to her eyes. Those eyes. Every time he looked down at her those beautiful violet eyes sparkled in the fading light and melted away any rational thought he might have had.

 _'_ _If I kissed her right now, would it stop her lower lip from trembling so cutely?'_ he thought obtusely.

Judy's other paw raised up, trembling slightly as it cupped Nick's other cheek, now holding his face in both her paws. Nick was standing with one paw on his knees as he leaned down, the other coming up to cup underneath Judy's chin. Pulled by the inexorable magnetism of the rabbit's soft lips, he leaned forwards, sighing softly…

…and she jerked backwards violently, eyes wide and holding her nose like he'd just bit it.

"Eww, bug breath!" she exclaimed through her digits, looking thoroughly nauseated.

 _'_ _Oh. Right. The burger. And the fries. And the shake,'_ He thought, running his tongue over his teeth. _'Yeah, that would smell pretty rank, even by predator standards…'_

Nick was still trying to get his senses back and neatly reordered in their box, but he was pretty sure he had just tried to kiss his best friend in the middle of a public street. A number of pedestrians and café goers were staring at their little display. How had he not noticed they were not alone out here? For goodness' sake, they were standing next to an elephant café! How do you miss a café full of elephants!? And they were all staring at him with a mixture of expressions ranging from wonder to disgust. He pointedly ignored them; he already had one elephant in the room he was trying to avoid, he certainly wasn't prepared to address an entire parade of them!

"So! Did you get it?" he asked her, a little too loudly.

"What?" she asked in a hushed tone, doing her best not to acknowledge the stares of the mammals around them and – if the creeping blush in her ears was any indicator – failing miserably.

"You know, the thing on my muzzle?" he repeated, even louder. He saw the lightbulb turn on – which for bunnies looked like their ears twitching upwards like the antenna on one of those old tv sets.

"Oh. Yes, yes, definitely got that thing that was on your stinky fox muzzle!" she said loudly, and a touch too theatrically as she dusted off her paws and pinched her nose.

 _'Overly dramatic bunny.'_

"Great, well then we should head back to the precinct and file that report!"

"Yep, I love paperwork. Let's go!"

"Fantastic! Yes! Let's go do that!"

And off they marched, hustling down Acacia Street back towards the precinct on the double, leaving a crowd of variously confused and amused mammals in their wake, at least a few of whom had snapped a few shots of the pair on their phones…

* * *

Back in _The Leopard's Spot_ , Melanie watched in amusement from her vantage point near the front door as the fox and bunny hightailed it out of the area. She had only caught bits and pieces of what had passed between them and her little vixen waitress, and she felt another pang of sympathy for Cassandra. It was clear there was more to the two officers' relationship than simple friendship, but it would take more than cuddling to straighten out the mess of their feelings for one another. She just hoped her little vixen would not end up heartbroken by her part in it all.

Thinking about the two ZPD officers, the melanistic leopardess was reminded to call her brother to see if he was doing alright and staying out of trouble with the law. He would be very interested to learn that Judy Hopps had visited the café, and that she was a lot more predator-friendly than previously believed. She doubted that would be enough to sway him from his current path in life, though. With a sigh and a shake of her darkly-furred head, Melanie returned to tending her café, resuming her pleasant, welcoming smile as the next batch of customers walked in.

* * *

 ** _A/N: End of fluff!_**

 ** _Next two weeks will be a tad angstier/dramatic in tone, but fear not, for the fluff will return in even greater abundance the week after!_**

 ** _Let me know what you thought of The Leopard's Spot and its residents. I had considered fluffing out more of Acacia Street with shops and characters, but this chapter is bloated enough already!_**

 ** _Also, have another little disclaimer, because we love disclaimers here! I do not speak Spanish, so I relied on the EVER SO TRUSTWORTHY Google Translate (and a smidgeon of common sense) to color Melanie's speech with a couple of phrases. If YOU speak Spanish, think I messed up, and can provide a less terrible sounding phrase, please do PM me! I will share my chocolate with you!_**

 ** _Conejita Valiente = Brave Bunny_**

 ** _Mi pobre cachorrita_** ** _= My poor little cub_**

* * *

 ** _Lastly, I want to give a small shout out to a few other authors on this site whose works have inspired me. In particular:_**

 ** _\+ Three Months a Fox by WildeNick (A fantastic delve into the movie's 3-month time skip that inspired my first chapter)_**

 ** _\+ A Bunny CAN Go Savage by Fox in the hen house (Soooo fluffy, compelling plot, and hilarious author notes that I shamelessly emulate)_**

 ** _\+ Earning The Badge by BunnyRock (Possibly the best characterization of Nick I have ever read, and mammoth chapters FULL of awesome)_**

 ** _Please do check these fics out if you are enjoying mine ( I assume you are because you just read a 9000+ word chapter!). I also invite you to check out my profile to see my current favorites - there are so many talented writers here!_**


	5. Chapter 5: Back to the Precinct

**_I couldn't do it. The pull of the The Fluff was too strong. Angsty chapters have been postponed to the following week so that I can get THIS last bit of fluffiness out of the way._**

 ** _I swear there is some actual plot under all of this fluff though. Hang on, lemme check, waitaminute, uhm… nope, just some pocket lint… which technically is just another KIND of fluff? Sooo… more fluff. Yup._**

 ** _However, seeing that we just hit 90 followers and nearly 4000 views, it seems that no one minds the fluffiness! Thanks so much for sticking with me. And offering me chocolate. You guys are the best. Yes, even you Apatheistic, you murderous devil, you._**

 ** _Now mind your heads, because…_**

 ** _Incoming fluff!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Back to the Precinct**

As they headed back to the precinct, Judy's mind was working overtime internally freaking out over every possible negative outcome of her near-kiss with Nick. Beside her, Nick was methodically repressed any hint of the desire to kiss her at all. The result of this equally negative introspection was a journey full of awkward silence and frequent embarrassed glances at one another.

While trying to suppress his wayward urges, Nick found himself reviewing the day, starting from that moment in the car, the tease that sent his heart fluttering. ' _She knows she loves me. What does that even mean to her? Aren't I just reading way too much into things?'_

Then there had been the hug in front of the precinct. It had felt so _right_ , and he almost cursed Fangmeyer for interrupting it, but felt an equal twinge of gratitude for what he might have done to the bunny had she not intervened. They embraced again in the hallway, when Judy had surprised him with another hug and left him in a stupefied state. And after interviewing Flash, he found himself drawn to stroke her ears while she dozed on the desk. How could he not? They looked so soft and she looked so beau- cute. She looked cute sleeping there. And it was wrong of him to do that without her permission, yet she didn't mind it in the café – she even told him so. So really it couldn't have been that bad, and she really was so very beau…

 _'_ _Focus.'_

He forced himself to stop and collect his thoughts again as they threatened to spiral out of control for what felt like the millionth time.

Where was he? Ah yes, the interview room. He stroked her ears, which he shouldn't have done. Then she woke up and after a short conversation briefly left him there alone. That was the only moment he'd had away from Judy all day, allowing him just a little bit of time to get his head straight. He was feeling _something_ for her alright, but he needed to keep it under control, at least while they were on duty. He couldn't afford to mess today up just because he was experiencing some kind of attraction for her partner. She deserved better than that. Really, he thought, she deserved better than him.

Try as he might though, he just couldn't seem to keep his defenses up around her. Everything that happened in the café was proof of that. Their little argument over that admittedly attractive vixen waitress. Him moving around the table to sit next to and cuddle her – no, wait, that's not right. He sat there just to see the TV, didn't he? Yes, that was it. But still, he ended up wrapping his arm around her… Why did he do that? And sure she didn't seem to mind that either but-

' _Focus!'_

Right. Then there was Judy's little chat with the waitress, but that seemed like a separate issue, and she would talk to him about that in her own time. He had touched her then too, just on the paw, and that too had given him another illicit thrill. And then they left and had that little moment in the street outside the cafe. How had they wound up holding paws with their muzzles so close together?

Just thinking about that most recent event caused his breath to quicken and his eyes to flit over to the bunny, who seemed equally lost in thought. He glanced at her mouth, and had to forcibly pull his eyes away again as that same feeling hit him, accompanied by an equally obtuse thought, _'If I kissed her right now, would it chase away the worried look on her face?'_ He grimaced and forced that down again. _'Bad fox. FOCUS!'_

He sighed softly, earning another brief glance from the bunny, her gaze faltering and moving elsewhere are she caught his eyes. From her troubled expression, she seemed to be working through her own version of events. He just hoped she didn't think less of him for how distracted and out of control he was acting. Looking back on the day so far, it seemed like so many small things were distracting him, and it almost felt like they hadn't gotten any work done, even though they had completed the assignment Bogo had given them and even dug up several promising leads into the city's underground racing scene. And helped an old lady cross the street. Can't forget that fine example of police work.

Nick slowed his pace as they reached the precinct, nearing the spot in front of their cruiser where he and Judy had that too-close cuddle earlier in the day. Looking at his partner again, he felt a pang of desire to once more wrap the bunny in his arms there, this time intentionally. He had to clench his paws into fists just to resist that urge.

At that exact moment, Judy was experiencing a similar thought as they neared the cruiser. She had accidentally crashed into his arms on that spot and wound up in the most wonderful embrace with her dearest friend and partner. And while she was sure it was just a friendly gesture to help calm her down it had felt so _right,_ and she found herself wishing it was so much more _._ It was the same in the café too; just when she was feeling her stress levels peaking he had moved to her and hugged her, chasing away all that tension.

Perhaps it was because this day felt so long and she was so tired, or maybe because she had been worrying about the possibility of Nick actually liking that vixen, but right now her willpower was running on empty and she just wanted to sink into his arms again, consequences be darned.

 _'_ _Just one more hug, I'm sure he won't mind or take it the wrong way…'_

Biting her lip, she glanced around the parking lot to make sure they were alone this time, then turned towards the fox, fully intending to throw herself into his arms and bury her face into his shirt again. It was only when she caught the conflicted look on his muzzle that she stopped to really think about what _he_ was feeling. Chiding herself for being so selfish again, she put away her own desires for the time being and gave her attention fully to her partner.

"Nick… are we ok?" She blinked at her own choice of words, then backpedaled. "I mean _you_! Are you ok?"

Nick felt a surge of warmth rush though him as he heard that soft voice and saw the tender concern in those vibrant purple eyes. Before he could think, his paws had shot up to rest gently on her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. _'Sweet lord, why can I not keep these damned paws to myself?'_ he scolded himself, resisting the urge to just pull her in and forget all his cares.

"I'm… I'm fine," he muttered unconvincingly, dropping his gaze to stare at the pavement between them, "We're fine too, I think." He chanced a glance at her face as he asked, "Are we fine?"

Judy gazed up at him uncertainly, feeling him keep her at a distance with his grip on her shoulders and wanting oh-so-much for him to just crush her to him in a wonderfully tight embrace. She reached out to tentatively touch the center of his chest with one paw, the other curled against her torso.

"Y-yes, I'm also fine," she murmured, her voice full of uncertainty, "So… I think we, too, are fine…"

"that's… fine then…" the fox mumbled.

Another awkward silence threatened to stretch out between the two as they warred with their own thoughts, their eyes once more dropping to the space on the pavement between their feet, both in their own way desperately looking for a way to close that gap. They both started talking at the same time.

"I'm sorry if I…"  
"I should have…"

They blinked in surprise then immediately tried once more, managing to speak over each-other again.

"You first, Carrots."  
"Sorry Nick..."

"Honestly, I didn't mean to interrupt…"  
"But you were first…"

"No, no, I insist..."  
"I was the one who interrupted you…"

"Really, lady's first!"  
"please go ahead!"

Another short pause, and they both started to laugh.

"Alright, Carrots, I'll go first," he spoke warmly, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"Ok," she smiled, giving him her full attention – not that there was anything else in the world that she cared to focus on right now.

"I'm sorry if I've been a little overbearing. This whole day it seems like I've just been looking for any excuse to be close to you. Maybe it's first day jitters, or maybe…" Nick swallowed and forced himself to hold her gentle gaze, "Maybe I just missed you a little too much while I was at the academy and am trying to make up for last time? I don't know. And I don't want to give you the wrong idea. I'd hate myself if I ever hurt you."

The bunny stared up at her partner in surprise and shook her head.

"Nick… I don't mind it, really. I _love_ getting hugs from you," she managed, blushing heavily as that word left her lips and thanking the universe when he apparently didn't pick up on it. "And hey, I'm right here catching up for lost cuddle time with my favorite fox too, you know! I missed you a LOT while you were away, and I should have just talked to you about it so that we could avoid any… mixed signals, you know?"

"Is that what we're calling it now, Fluff? Cuddle time?" he asked with a wry grin.

"Niiick…" she huffed, giving him her best _'I'm trying to be serious here,'_ face.

"I know, I know," he reassured her, dropping the jokester façade for now.

"What I'm trying to say is, I really don't mind it and I won't take it the wrong way," she murmured, before taking a big breath and exclaiming, "You can be affectionate with me anytime and anywhere!"

"You sure about that, Carrots?" he asked with a slight smirk.

"Ok, maybe not too much in the precinct," she added hastily, "Some mammals may get the wrong idea. But as long as it's just the odd innocent hug and stuff like that it's ok there too…"

 _'_ _Even if what's going through my head at the time is anything but innocent.'_

She bit her lip as she stared at her feet, forcing her ears down her back to hide the redness creeping along their inner edges.

"Really, as long as it doesn't interfere with our work, I don't think anyone would think it's strange. A lot of the other officers are affectionate with each-other too!" she rationalized, "Sure, for them that means punching and scrapping, but that's still affection, kinda! We're smaller mammals, so it makes sense we're not as violent about it. What we're doing is just… friendly behavior between fellow officers!"

Judy tried not to think too hard about the fact that over the last few months she was often right in the middle of the bull pen's morning chaos, trading blows with her much larger coworkers and getting painful slaps on the back that would have sent any other mammal her size sprawling. By now they ALL knew just how scrappy and tough she was, so no one really batted an eye nowadays when she affectionately roughhoused with the wolves, big cats and pachyderms who made up the bulk of the force. And she did act that way with Nick too, sometimes! He just tended to bring out a softer, more vulnerable side to her… and that wasn't a bad thing! It was part of why they made such a great team!

"Well, as long as you're okay with it, Fluff," Nick said hesitantly, his gaze growing distant again as he tried to take stock of what she'd said. He could tell there was more she wasn't telling him, and it honestly still felt like she was just trying to be a really good friend by putting up with his unusually clingy behavior. _'Gods, when did I turn into a Needy Nick?'_ he thought ruefully.

It certainly was a strange transformation in his character, given how empty his affections usually were toward his other friends and associates. More often than not over the last few years the only time he showed affection was when running a con, and that was always just pretend. Even today, when he earlier offered to hug Fangmeyer, he was just doing it for show. He didn't really care one way or the other whether the big cat accepted his offer or not. Goodness, he couldn't even remember the last time he had given _his own mother_ a genuine hug – though that was a whole other issue in itself.

And yet here he was, his feelings running rampant inside of him and his usually calm, rational mind having to work overtime to keep himself from being all over this small, beautiful mammal in front of him.

 _'_ _Cute! Cute mammal! Not… not…'_

Looking at the bunny in front of him, really looking at her, he couldn't bring himself to deny the truth standing right in front of his own eyes. _'She IS beautiful. And I don't deserve such a beautiful mammal in my life.'_ No matter how much he believed that though, here she was looking up at him with that sweet accepting smile of hers, one paw still clutching his shirt just over his heart as if she was yearning for him to give it to her. Not knowing it was already hers.

He could feel himself being pulled towards her again, being tempted to throw caution to the wind and kiss this beautiful little bunny rabbit's lips for all she was worth, but he forcibly snapped himself out of it. He had tortured himself enough for one day.

"So… should we head in and get this report done, or would you like to stay here and wait for Fangmeyer to pass by again?" he asked, plastering on that familiar sly grin. His eyebrows rose slightly as he realized she wasn't paying attention.

The whole while they were stood there Judy could feel Nick's heartbeat the paw she had laid on his chest, and had been subconsciously comparing it to the fluttering she could feel in her own with the other paw. She remembered pressing her ear to his torso a few times today and being surprised at how quick his heartbeat was. She had wondered if perhaps he was really excited to be so close to her – maybe even betraying an attraction to her? – but as they stood there, relatively relaxed, she noticed that this was simply its normal tempo. And it was so close to the rhythm of hers.

At some point she lost herself in tracking those two beats, her own heart pulsing a fraction quicker than his, and she felt a thrill run through her as they eventually synchronized, even if just for a few seconds. For those few seconds though, it was like there was only one heartbeat between them. Despite their many differences, their hearts beat the same. Thinking about that filled her with a yearning to just come clean and tell him how much she really liked him, about what she _really_ felt when he hugged her, and how much more she wanted. How she had dreamt about him every single night since he had left for the academy. And not all innocent dreams either…

But she hesitated at the thought of putting their friendship on the line. Having him in her life meant more than words could express. The thought of jeopardizing that bond terrified her. Especially for what felt like selfish reasons. And besides that, she had a promise to keep first. She could feel the piece of paper burning a hole in her pocket, begging to be revealed.

"Fluff? You in there?"

She blinked, realizing she had been spacing out and missed what he had just said.

"Sorry, Slick. Guess I'm more tired than I thought! What did you say?"

He grinned in amusement.

"I said… would you like to go do this report, or would you rather wait for someone else to come along and tell us off for snuggling next to the station?"

"We're… we're not snuggling out here!" she blurted out, cheeks warming.

"Well, not now we're not. But I could change that…" he said with a playful growl, before lunging at her. The bunny gave a frightened 'eep' and dodged his outstretched paws, giggling as he made a few more lazy grabs for her.

Judy weaved out of his next attempt and then spun around, stretched out a paw and lightly booped Nick on the nose, causing him to stop and blink, going cross-eyed as he sniffled and wrinkled his nose to get rid of the ticklish sensation her fur had left on it.

"No fair, nose boops are off limits!" he grimaced, vigorously wiping at his snout with the back of his paw.

"Nope. As grand high commissioner of boops, I decree that foxy nose boops are fair play!" she replied with a haughty laugh, continuing to point her offending digit at his face.

"Well then, that must mean bunny boops are also fair game!" he growled, advancing on her again. Judy gave another 'eep' and a laugh before sprinting off towards the door of the precinct, the fox in hot pursuit. Cassie's note would just have to wait a little longer.

* * *

"Safe!" cried the bunny, as she threw herself against the counter of the central reception desk.

"What? Why is Clawhauser's desk, 'safe'?" puffed an out-of-breath Nick as he caught up to her, fighting to stay standing. Sprinting on a full stomach was never a good idea and he could feel a stitch already forming in his side from the short jaunt into precinct one. He had no idea how Judy managed to stay so far ahead of him without barfing up that rainbow of a salad she had for lunch.

"Because I said so," the cheetah purred, "As the de facto referee of all precinct games, I set the rules. You're on my turf now, kiddies!"

He reached over to ruffle Judy's head over the desk.

"Ew, sticky fingers!" she cried, batting at his paws.

"Oops, sorry! Just finished off a box of double-glazed donuts…" he apologized, licking his digits clean.

"So, Benny, did you get it?" Nick asked, leaning on the desk with _that smirk_ on his face again.

"Ooh, you mean this saucy little number?" he giggled, pulling open his phone and showing off the picture of Judy with the dark-furred owner of _The Leopard's Spot_.

"Nick, you jerk! You actually sent it!?" she scowled, rounding on the cheetah next, "And Benjamin, you ran a pool against me? How could you!?"

"Sorry, honey bun, that's just how we roll at the Z to the P to the D, D, D!" he chanted, wiggling in his chair as he gave a comical little dance.

"…what do the extra D's stand for?" she asked, tilting an eyebrow at him.

"Dispatcher's Desk. Duh. Do you know how boring it gets sitting here all day? Of course you don't, you're out THERE, hopping about the streets and saving the city from purse snatchers and crazy sheep conspiracies and unpaid parking tickets…"

"All while dealing with her adoring fans," the fox helpfully added.

"Uh huh! And we got some great shots over the last few months. I promise I'll show you the album once we pick the winners, Judy."

"Months!? Wait… There's an ALBUM!?" she cried.

"Oh yeah, Ben gave me a sneak peek this morning before the bull pen."

"I hate you all," she scowled, crossing her arms and thumping one foot vigorously.

 _'_ _So cute,'_ Nick mused, trying not to smile too obviously at Judy's petulant little display.

So, how did mine do?" he asked, turning back to the dispatcher.

"Oh… uh… sorry, Nick, instant disqualification," he said, throwing his flabby arms up in a rough cross-shape.

"What!?" he cried, throwing his paws out to appeal the ref's decision.

"Yeah, first rule, you can't submit shots that look _really_ bad out of context. Just look at this poor bunny, oh she looks like she's being terrorized by this big scary panther."

"HATE!" scowled Judy, only to be ignored.

"Melanistic leopard," corrected Nick.

Clawhauser blinked and examined the phone screen again. "Ooh, you're right, I can just make out some of her rosettes in the photo. Wait, is that Melanie from the place down on Acacia Street?"

"Uh huh."

"Oh I love that café! They do the _best_ cicada burgers. I even wrote a review about it on Fursquare," he mused, getting a dreamy look in his eye as if recalling a fond memory. "Oh well. Delete!"

"Noooooooooooo…" Nick dropped to his knees dramatically as Clawhauser erased the photo.

"Sorry, foxy. If some sleazy tabloid reporter got their grubby paws on a shot like this, they'd have a field day. You're out!"

"Well… darn it all," he grumbled, getting back to his feet and dusting off his pants. "I thought I'd cinched the win with that one."

"I can't believe you two, making bets over MY misery!"

"Now Carrots, don't take it so harshly," said Nick, taking a patronizing tone and even bending down with paws on his knees to crouch at her eye level, "Think of it as motivation to get better at public relations."

"Ooh, you… _mean_ old fox!" she growled, before marching off towards her desk, leaving him there with the dispatcher.

"Hey, I resemble that remark!" he called after her with a chuckle. She could feel the grin he was pointing in her direction and refused to turn and dignify him with another response.

"Oh she is just so adorably cute when she's mad," squealed the cheetah.

Nick felt a pang of anger and rounded on him reflexively. "Don't call her cute."

Benjamin blinked, pulled back and dropped his ears at the sudden shift in the fox's mood. "Oh, uh, okay Nick. Sorry…"

Nick's anger vanished as quickly as it presented itself, leaving him feeling awkward for attacking the cheetah. Given how much he loved to tease her with that word himself, what right did he have to get upset and snap at another of her friends doing it?

"…It's alright," he said, trying to wave it off, "She just doesn't like people calling her that word, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. It's a bunny thing, apparently."

"Heh, yeah, those bunnies…"

"…SO emotional, I know!"

Nick chuckled at that.

"Aw, but good on you, Slick, jumping to your partner's defense like that…" the cheetah cooed, "It warms my heart to know our favorite bunny is so _loved._ "

"Right… yes, because that is what partners do for each-other," the fox replied cautiously, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with this conversation.

"So, how was your lunch date?" Clawhauser abruptly asked. "I know where you went, but how did it go?"

"Oh, very romantic. Sunlight spilling through the windows, beautiful décor, lovely service. And the food…" Nick lifted one paw to his lips, made a little kiss and spread his digits out, signaling how delicious it was. "Four out of four, would recommend."

"Oh I know all about how delicious their food is, believe me, you are preaching to the choir there, Foxy! But what did you guys-"

"Hey is this you?" Nick interrupted, holding up his BlueBerry smartphone and turning the screen to Clawhauser. It was open to the Fursquare app, on one particular user page by the name of "Benji's Gastronomic Guide to Zootopia". Clawhauser's eyes shot wide.

"Oh no, the veil of my anonymity has been pierced!" he cried out throwing a paw to his forehead melodramatically. "Whatever shall I do now that my secret identity has been exposed!?"

"Ease off the cheese there, Cuddles," the fox teased. "I was just going to say it's a pretty neat little blog you're running. I read your review on the walk over, and even tried your recommendation."

"You mean the burger, chips, and shake combo? Wasn't it divine!? _The Spot_ is definitely in my top ten places to get a burger in the whole city. Oh and the cricket chips? There are so many street vendors who do great chips, but something about Melanie's preparation makes them extra crispy and oh-so-tasty, _especially_ combined with the burger. Tell me you had the shake!"

Nick smirked broadly at the chubby feline currently bubbling with enthusiasm. It didn't take a genius to figure out that getting him on the topic of food (or Gazelle) would distract him from any other line of questioning, but he was surprised at how easy it was. The big guy definitely loved his food.

"Oh yeah, I had one of those bad boys as well. Will definitely will check out more of your suggestions in future. Aaaand… followed," he said, adding Clawhauser to his list of preferred reviewers on the app.

"Thank you, thank you, kind sir," purred the cheetah, genuflecting to the fox.

"And thank you. Well, back to the old workmill for me," said the fox turning to head towards his and Judy's desk. He gave Clawhauser a wide smirk and a wink, calling back, "See you later, buddy."

"Bye foxy!" the cheetah waved.

It took Clawhauser a few seconds to realize that Nick had dodged his question.

"Hmph, why that sly little… wait, am I allowed to call him that?" he asked the air, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, deciding that it probably wasn't a good idea.

"Oh well, two can play your little game, Foxyfluff…" he purred, opening his phone and scrolling to Judy's contact details, a devious plan forming in his head…

* * *

Judy was already back at her desk, but rather than getting on with writing her report, she found herself fidgeting incessantly, lamenting the absence of her partner. For all that she had been furious with him and Clawhauser, she had already cooled off on the walk over here and gotten over it. Mostly. Ok, she was probably going to lay into him a bit once he turned up, but that was predicated on him TURNING UP.

"Come on… where are you Slick?" she grumbled, staring at the door to the open plan office where their desks were located, along with the desks of a dozen other officers and support staff. Her notepad was loosely forgotten in her paw, and she was absently stabbing little dots of ink all over the page as she waited with ever diminishing patience.

Her phone dinged suddenly with a new message and she tossed her pen and pad to one side to pull out the device, her ears upright and an expectant look on her face, hoping it was from Nick. Perhaps he had been delayed or had an errand to run? And he was keeping her informed, oh that was so thoughtful of him! She knew she could count on him!

 _'_ _Oh, wait, never mind, it's Clawhauser,'_ she realized, her face falling back into a scowl.

 **Message from Clawhauser:** _"_ _Hey bun-bun, wanna get a little bit of sweet revenge on old Nickyboy?"_

"What are you playing at, Ben?" she grumbled while typing in her reply.

 **Message from Hopps:** " _What do you have in mind?"_

 **Message from Clawhauser:** _"_ _We started a pool this morning for the best photo of your handsome foxy pulling ANY expression other than that smarmy smirk of his. The sillier the better. 5 bucks to buy in. Wanna join? :3 "_

She paused and considered the offer, remembering how Nick had taken those shots of her in the café earlier.

 **Message from Judy Hopps:** _"F_ _ine, I'm in."_

 **Message from Clawhauser:** _"_ _Great, don't forget your buy-in! You can drop it by my desk later."_

Judy was in the process of writing a followup message when Nick finally deigned to show himself, sauntering through the door like he owned the place and giving her a languid wave.

"Hey, Fluff."

She held up one digit to command his silence while she finished tapping in her next message to Clawhauser, before hitting send and stashing the phone. She fixed Nick with an annoyed glare.

"Mean. Old. Fox."

"You know you love me," he teased, taking his seat next to her at the desk they currently shared. That softened her mood a little.

"Well, I won't if we don't get this report done before the end of our shift!" she grumped as she logged into her desk computer.

"Ooh, high stakes, I like it. Alright, let's get this thing done then."

"Good. You can start by filling me in on the details I missed in the interview…"

* * *

Across the other side of the precinct, Clawhauser was grinning to himself as he updated the stack of papers he kept on his desk for the various pools he ran for the active duty officers and the precinct staff. Just as he was updating the 'Wipe that Smirk Off Wilde's Face' Pool, listing the addition of a certain bunny under the alias of 'Cutie Hopps', his phone dinged again with another message from the irate rabbit.

Flicking open the device, his eyes went wide as he read her last message.

 **Message from Judy Hopps:** _"_ _Sure. I'll play your little game for now. But know this, Benjamin Clawhauser. Once I've exacted my revenge on Nick...  
_ _(\\_/)  
(O.o)_

(")_(")  
 _…_ _I am coming for you."_

Clawhauser felt a pang of fear mixed with amusement as he let the adorable little threat she directed at him sink in. However soft he might look, though, he was no pushover. He hadn't earned the rank of Desk Sergeant for his ability to demolish whole boxes of donuts, after all. Though if they DID promote based on that, he'd have made chief by now.

His round face quickly settled into a self-assured smirk as he opened a new chat group on his phone and started adding contacts.

"Oh honey, you have no idea who you are messing with…" he purred, as he finished adding the number of every active duty officer to the new group, barring of course Nick, Judy and the Chief.

Clawhauser swirled one chubby digit in the air as if weaving a magic spell, then let it descend to hit the send button on the screen. Around the precinct and out in the wider city dozens of phones dinged in harmony, all with the same message…

 **Benjamin Clawhauser has added you to the group "WildeHopps Betting Pool".**

* * *

 **Meanwhile, at the Tundra Town Docks...**

It was early evening and a light snowfall was adding a fresh layer of powder to every exposed surface around the entrance to the docks. This included the ZPD SWAT van parked on the corner around from the dock entrance. Its undisguised presence was intended as a deterrent for the usual sordid types that often tried to slip into the docks around this time. However, the team within the vehicle were also on standby for a cleanup operation in case the remnants of the gang they had taken down this morning made the mistake of showing their muzzles anywhere in the district.

The past few hours were uneventful, but for the most part the SWAT members opted to stay inside the van to take advantage of the warmth. Only Grizzoli was naturally adapted to the local climate, but even he preferred the warmth of the van and the company of his fellow officers to being stuck out in the snow, especially given the record cold temperatures the district was experiencing this year. It was enough to make even a polar bear like him shiver. He currently had his nose buried in the well-worn pages of a paperback novel entitled _Mewgene Onegin_ , a pair of delicate reading glasses balanced on his snout reminiscent of the chief's.

To his side, Delgato was filling his time by playing on his phone. In contrast to the older mammal's outwardly calm demeanor, the much younger lion was shifting restlessly in his seat as he focused on a new gaming app. He would periodically switch between either gently bouncing up and down in his seat while on a winning streak, to grumbling and sweeping his mane out of his face in annoyance when he lost a particularly long combo or a life.

Fangmeyer was still sat up front in the shotgun seat, reclining languidly and resting her large head in one paw, her elbow propped against the window. To all outward appearances the big cat appeared to be dozing, but one look at her eyes betrayed the keen predatory gaze that continually swept the dockside, keeping note of any unusual activity while profiling every mammal going in and out of the docks with the practiced ease of a senior police officer.

Krumpanski was doing the same, but with none of the relaxed demeanor of the tigress beside him. Instead the rhino sat bolt upright, his massive form held stock-still like a statue while his eyes followed every movement on the street with laser-like focus. It was a mystery to the other mammals as to whether the hulking pachyderm ever rested. Neither was he one to socialize. It seemed that he lived only for the job and treated everything else as a needless distraction.

The relative peace and quiet in the car was unsurprisingly broken by Delgato, who snarled in annoyance at his phone.

"Ugh, ANOTHER paywall? I hate these freemium games!" he growled, shutting off the device in annoyance, "They only give you so many free lives, and then you either fork out a few bucks or have to wait a day to play again! It sucks."

"If you hate your little games, then do not be playing them," remarked the thick accented bear without looking up from his book. "Such toys are a waste of a mammal's time."

"Tch, what would you know, Grizz? You're still stuck in the last century," he jibed, "I mean, seriously, who reads actual books anymore?"

The bear growled in distaste at the feline beside him. "This book is a classic, written by one of the greatest writers to live in Bearopolis, Alexander Pawshkin. Not that a kitten like yourself could appreciate this name."

"Yeah… nope, never heard of him," the lion said with a dismissive shrug. "I wasn't much for reading in school either. What's so great about it anyway?"

"Here, kitten, since you lack the basic comprehensions, I will read for you. It is a good passage. It describes you well…."

Grizzoli cleared his throat, and read aloud, his accent carrying throughout his recitation.

 _"_ _But flaming youth in all its madness  
Keeps nothing of its heart concealed:  
Its loves and hates, its joys and sadness,  
Are babbled out and soon revealed."_

Delgato stared dumbly at the bear.

"I don't get it. What, is it a poem?"

Fangmeyer snorted loudly from the front, barely stifling a laugh.

"What!?" the lion whined at her.

"I'll tell you when you're older," she purred, not even turning around.

"Fine, whatever, boring conversation anyway," he grumbled, turning to peer out of the tinted bulletproof pane next to him.

"…was that a Star Boars reference?" the bear asked nonchalantly.

"Uh, yeah…" the lion replied without looking back, "What else would it be?"

"Heh," was the only other sound the bear made before he returned to his reading.

Silence once more reigned in the vehicle, much to the Rhino's unspoken delight, until a sudden chorus of phones simultaneously pinging prompted the four mammals to glance at each-other and then check their devices. Even the bear finally put down his book to see what the fuss was about.

 **Benjamin Clawhauser has added you to the group "WildeHopps Betting Pool".**

 **Message from Clawhauser:** _'_ _It's the first of May and LOVE is in the air. Will our newest potential lovebirds hook up before the month is out? PLACE YOUR BETS!'_

Immediately the chat began dinging with other officers around the city either expressing surprise at the suggested pairing or placing bets on when exactly they would hook up, or if they would hook up at all.

"What game is that fat cat playing now?" snorted the rhino, staring at his own device. His phone was appropriately sized for his species, making it quadruple the size of the others' devices.

"Truly he is worse than my old _Mamulya_ for the gossiping," Grizzoli muttered disapprovingly.

"So, Hopps and the new guy? Isn't he her partner? Oooh, HR are going to have a field day with that!" chortled Delgato.

Fangmeyer made a noncommittal noise as she considered her phone screen carefully, "Clawhauser didn't add any of the HR guys in, and we're not going to tell them."

Delgato shrugged, "Right… well, Ben seems to think they're gonna hook up, so I'll put em' for… next week? That bunny likes to work fast."

 **Message from Delgato:** _"_ _This time next week!"_

There was silence in the car as several officers from other parts of the city dropped their bets, before another familiar name popped up on the screen.

 **Message from Krumpanski:** " _Never. Won't happen."_

The other three looked up in surprise to see the rhino keying at his own device.

"What?" he snorted.

"Didn't think you liked to take part in betting pools, Krump," the lion remarked.

"I don't." came another snort.

"Uh, ok? So, what was that then?"

The rhino merely shrugged wordlessly and returned to his vigil, leaving Delgato to huff in annoyance at being brushed off.

 **Message from Fangmeyer:** _"_ _24 hours."_

Delgato gave a start at the tigress.

"What!? No way they'll do it that quickly. I know Hopps is fast, but she isn't that fast."

"Obviously you've never sparred with her, Hairball, or you'd know just how fast she really is," she shot back at the other feline. "Besides, you're forgetting about the fox. I wonder how quickly _he_ wants to move…"

Thinking back on her run-in with the pair that morning, it didn't seem like either of them were the type to take it slow.

 **Message from Grizzoli:** _"_ _He will reject her. She will find another, then when he comes crawling back, she will reject him."_

The van fell completely silent as three sets of eyes stared at their phones in disbelief, then stared at the bear in the back seat. Delgato was the first to speak.

"Grizz, buddy. I think it's time to put the book away…"

" _Poshlust_. You have no appreciations of the arts," the bear retorted.

Fangmeyer gaze a throaty laugh.

"Yeah, I think I preferred Krumplebutt's guess over that."

The rhino fixed her with a murderous glare.

"Meyer, if you value you hide, you will NOT call me that again."

The rhino's sour mood forced a brief silence over the group, but Delgato's incorrigible nature forced him to quickly break it again.

"A fox and a bunny though? Who'd have thought?"

"It's disgusting," the rhino grumbled.

"…oh WOW, Krump. I knew you were big, but I never took you for a bigot," the lion announced, expressing his distaste for the older mammal's views.

Krumpanski merely snorted his indifference at the label and the pun.

Grizolli leaned forward, "I am with Krumpanski in this, Pretty Cat."

"Dude, stop calling me that," Delgato scowled, but was completely ignored as the bear continued over him.

"Some mammals find fun times playing outside the lines. This is their business, yes, and who is to judge? But such games do not last. We are created to find love only with our own kinds."

"I don't agree," purred Fangmeyer, "Love knows no species."

"See? She's on my side here! I knew you had a thing for me, Fangy," said Delgato, with a suggestive growl.

"Get real, Hairball," she retorted toward the lion, earning a wounded look from the male.

"IF I went inter," Fangmeyer suggested, leaning toward the driver's side and fluttering her eyelashes at the rhino, "I'd only have eyes for _Krumplebutt_ here…"

"I will _destroy_ you." He snarled, slowly drawing back one large fist to make good on his earlier threat.

"Do you hear that?" she purred excitedly, bracing for the blow, "He's already planning our wedding night!"

The rhino looked aghast, and dropped his arm, no longer willing to come into any kind of contact with the perverted mammal next to him. The whole vehicle was filled with laughter.

"You are all disgusting," he snorted, staring out the side window.

"Awww, come on, Krump," cajoled the lion in the backseat, "there has to be at least ONE mammal you'd go inter for…"

Krumpanski snorted, appearing to ignore the question, before muttering, "Gazelle."

The laughter in the car stopped abruptly, prompting the rhino to turn and see the shocked faces of his colleagues.

"What!?" he bellowed, before lowering his voice, sounding abashed. "I like her horns…"

"Kinky…" purred the tigress to his side.

"Yes, they are," the Rhino replied cluelessly, thinking only of the kinked shape of Gazelle's- _'Oh, the furball meant the OTHER kind of kinky.'_ Krumpanski's thick hide naturally had a slight pink tint to it, however the skin around his horn seemed to turn a little pinker at the realization. They were having another laugh at his expense, but it was thankfully short-lived as Delgato turned the same line of questioning onto the bear.

"Griz! How about it. Who's your secret inter crush?"

The bear folded his book again, took off his reading glasses, and gave the lion a pointed stare.

"This is easy for me to answer, Pretty Cat. It is you."

Grizzoli continued to stare at the lion expressionlessly, an awkward tension beginning to stretch between the two.

"Uhm, I can't tell if you're joking or not."

"Do I look like I am joking, _Pretty Cat?_ " the bear's emphasis on the nickname seemed to rattle the feline as he shrunk away as far as the enclosed space would allow. And… was he starting to blush?

Grizolli could hold his passive expression no longer and burst into a fit of booming laughter at the terrified feline next to him. Delgato scowled as he realized he'd been played.

"Dude, NOT cool, I only like _females_ , alright?"

"Yes, of course, keep telling yourself this," the bear grumbled in amusement, returning to his book. "Just remember, _papa bear_ is waiting when you change your mind…"

"Ugh, gross! I can't even…" the lion spluttered, before giving up and turning to the Rhino. "Can I step outside fir a bit, Sir? I need some fresh air."

"Sure, take a hike. We could use a break from your constant babbling," the Rhino snorted.

Delgato was out the side door before Krumpanski had even finished talking. Fangmeyer turned back to the bear and snapped two digits under his nose to get his attention.

"Yes, Fangmeyer?"

"Take it a little easier on the kid, Grizolli. He's a mouthy brat, but he means well."

Grizzoli stared at the tigress contemplatively, then nodded.

"…I see. I will go apologize," he said resolutely, before opening his side door and stepping out into the snowfall.

Only Fangmeyer and Krumpanski were left in the vehicle, both resuming their vigil over the docks. Several minutes passed in silence before Fangmeyer spoke up.

"You disapprove of interspecies relationships, Krumpanski?"

"I do."

"How come?" she asked placidly.

There was a long pause as the Rhino contemplated his answer.

"My cousin was married to a moose."

Fangmeyer couldn't hold in a surprised laugh. She tried to stifle it, and failed several times before finally calming.

"Oh Goodness, I am sorry, but that mental image! A rhino and a moose!? If they had a kid, would it be called a moose‑noceros?" she asked, nearly bubbling over into laughter again.

"They are now both divorced and childless," came the flat response.

"Ah… sorry," she said, her laughter immediately dying. "That was insensitive of me."

Krumpanski merely snorted, though he usual gruffness seemed considerably lessened.

"No. It was a foolish union. It deserves to be mocked. The cultural differences between our species were considerable. The difference in size meant that it was impossible to…. Well, the less said of that the better. Yet despite all sense, they stayed together for nearly three years."

"They loved each-other that much?"

"For a while, yes."

"What changed?"

"Pressure from family, friends, strangers in the street. Everywhere they went together they were judged. It eventually became too much. So they went their separate ways."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"…me too." The Rhino admitted, a crack beginning to show in his tough exterior, "My cousin was never the same after that. The way he was treated… it was disgusting. In the end, it wasn't worth it for either of them. The whole thing was… disgusting." The rhino wore a rare saddened expression. Fangmeyer reached over and placed a reassuring paw on his large shoulder.

"Not a word to those two goofballs about this, you hear?" the rhino gave her another one of his murder glares.

"John, when have I ever broken your confidence?" she asked with a gentle, reassuring purr.

"…thank you," he muttered, turning away. "For what it's worth, I hope Hopps and Wilde are able to ride out the criticism."

"I'm sure they will. They have a big accepting family back at Precinct One to watch their backs."

"Assuming he survives his first round with Bogo," the rhino snorted.

Fangmeyer gave a pained look at that but said nothing more of it, choosing to switch the focus of the conversation to the bunny.

"Have you given any more thought to rotating Hopps in for SWAT duty?"

And there was that murder glare again.

"You KNOW I can't have a mammal that small on my team. She'll be stepped on. And then she'll be dead. And I don't like getting officers dead, no matter their size."

"Go one round with her in the gym, sparring. She'll change your mind. She sure as heck changed mine…"

The rhino raised an eyebrow at her, he could see the tigress touching her jawline as if remembering an old injury. He was intrigued.

"…Maybe I will. And when I accidentally sit on her and have to give the news to her next of kin, you're coming with me to explain whose bright idea it was."

Fangmeyer snorted loudly, then burst out into a rasping laugh. This time Krumpanski joined her.

* * *

 ** _A/N: End of fluff_**

 ** _Gentle reminder that next week things get a little dark, so stock up on the fluffiness now and keep some chocolates on standby for an emergency revival!_**

 ** _Fun fact, relating to the shared heartbeats bit in the first section, red fox and rabbit average resting heart rates are in fact very similar, rabbits being in the range of 120-150 BPM, and Red Foxes somewhere around 140 bpm through the day. There are actual scientific studies out there that I referenced for this. This is the length I will go to for your fluffy experience. You're welcome._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _WARNING: the following section is not required reading for this story and is lacking in fluff, but contains research notes, calendar shenanigans, suggested character birth dates, and a random song suggestion._**

 ** _You can skip it, but it may be interesting if you like fiddling with timelines or would just like some insight into my chocolate-addled thought processes! I'm putting it here because I'm hoping a few of you may find it useful. Aaand also because you don't want to see the mess of my handwritten notes!_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _So according to 'Word of God', Judy joined the police force around August or September. The length of real world police academy training varies, but the best fit I found for a city like Zootopia was around 4 months. We can play with the dates to figure out when she started (we'll come back to that later), but first let's see how that impacts Nick and our current story._**

 ** _For argument's sake, I assumed the academy runs three 4-month training courses per year; jan-apr, may-aug; sept-dec. I also assumed their calendar is identical to the Gregorian calendar, with year zero relating to a Christ-analogue which would be Jesus Capybara (I think this concept is credited to the author of Zistopia, NIcholasWildes. Can anyone confirm?). Lastly, I assumed the main story of the movie kicks off in_** ** _their_** ** _year of 2016 (our year of the movie's release)._**

 ** _So after the 3 month time skip between the press conference and Judy's apology / Bellwether's arrest, we can assume it's roughly November/December time. Nick needs to head off to the academy asap for financial reasons (he's no longer hustling and he needs a steady job to cover his monthly expenses), but I figure he also needs time to prep and tie up loose ends, so he takes a few weeks to do just that. Factor in holiday timings ('Capybaramas', anyone?), and I figure he'd start the academy on the first Monday of the new year._**

 ** _So Nick starts his training in the new year on 2 Jan 2017, graduates 4 months later on 28 April, and starts work the following week,_** ** _Monday, 1 May 2017_** ** _. This also fits with Judy's academy training timing, as she would have done the May-Aug training period and then joined the force end of August/beginning of September, which is when we know the movie's main plot starts! (did we just come full circle? Yes, yes we did)_**

 ** _So that is how I figured out the current date and kept it all roughly in line with the movie's timeline!_**

 ** _…_** ** _all this work, and all I did with it so far was to add in one throwaway line of text from Clawhauser with a cringy WildeHopps reference. What am I doing with my life right now? X3_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _While we are on the subject of calendars though, let's consider_** ** _Birthdays_** ** _!_**

 ** _In the absence of canon birthdays, I assigned our heroes the birthdays of their respective English-speaking voice actors (Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin) and extrapolated the characters' years of their births using their canon ages according to 'Word of God'._**

 ** _That gives us the following:_**

 ** _\- Nick's birthday is_** ** _14 Jan 1984_** ** _(meaning he turned 33 in his 2_** ** _nd_** ** _week of academy training… that must have been an awful birthday party, assuming the ZPA celebrates them the same way the ZPD does)_**

 ** _\- Judy's birthday is_** ** _22 May 1992_** ** _(so her 25_** ** _th_** ** _birthday is 3 weeks from the day Nick joins the force! She miiiight want to take a rest day to avoid a pummeling similar to Francine's. Then again, this is Judy. She WOULD turn up to work on her birthday, just to try and take down the whole bullpen on her own! X3 )_**

 ** _This highlights another major problem with their relationship though… He's a child of the 80's and she's a child of the 90's! Once the romance wears off, they'll have NOTHING in common! :O Is the ship doomed to sink!? (spoiler alert: nope)_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _On a side note (a side note within my side notes – a SIDIER side note), seeing as I've established my starting date as 1 May, it just so happens that there is a lovely (M-Rated) song by JoCo called "First of May" that MAY appeal to some of you hardcore shippers out there. It's all about the joys of springtime… Please be warned that the lyrics are M-rated, so listen at your own discretion!_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _Did I just whack you over the head with a lot of date jumping and excessive lore delving, just to drop an inappropriate song suggestion based on a calendar date? Yes, yes I did. Enjoy!_**

 ** _Also, feel free to use these dates in your own fics if you want, or correct me if you think my math is funky! You are welcome to PM me if you want to know more about how I arrived at the above conclusions or even to expand on them! I welcome your insights!_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _Summary of currently established dates:_**

 ** _Current date/Nick's first day on the force: Monday, 1 May 2017_**

 ** _Nick's Date of Birth: 14 Jan 1984 (he is 33)_**

 ** _Judy's Date of Birth: 22 May 1992 (she is 24 going on 25, "innocent as a rose…")_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _Now, after all this research, I believe I have earned a chocolate break…_**

 ** _Remember, The Fluff will be with you, always._**


	6. Chapter 6: Making the Report

_**Massive chapter is massive (11,000+ words? Woo, that's a lot of fluff!)**_

 _ **Except, this chapter will not be all fluff this time around (gasp, shock, horror!).**_ _ **Nope. We have some PLOT bunnies to iron out before we can get back to the FLUFFY bunnies.**_

 _ **Can Vulpes write anything without including excessive amounts of snuggling? Read on to find out!**_

 _ **Oh, but of course there will be SOME fluff. I'm not that crazy. I know what you're all really here for :3**_

 _ **Massive shout-out to Discord1 for beta-reading this chapter and saving it from a really jarring tone-shift and an awful cliffhanger (I tried writing grim and went full GRIMDARK muahahaha). It's still going to be a little grim, but not nearly as much! So be sure to thank her for that by checking out her story, Engine Trouble, which is a lovely read and updates frequently. Then drop her a review and a follow, because she's awesome (and she didn't even bribe we with chocolate to say that, so you KNOW it's true!)**_

 _ **But read my fic first! I mean, you ARE here already so... just keep doing what you're doing!**_

 _ **And when it does get to the grim bits just repeat the following mantra:**_

" _ **I am one with The Fluff. The Fluff is with me."**_

 _ **...**_ _ **aaaand now I'm wondering whether 'The Fluff' has a Light side and a Dark side.**_

 _ **Let's find out…**_

 _ **Incoming Fluff!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Making the Report**

The clock struck four just as Nick and Judy were getting into the rhythm of filling out the day's report. And by Nick and Judy, that meant mostly Judy, the fox feigning a desire to observe "his supervising officer's" approach to report making. The bunny rabbit rolled her eyes and shrugged; she hated filling out paperwork, but she was nothing if not efficient about it and decided to give her partner a free pass seeing as it was his first day. Plus, her notes were already very easy to transcribe given how much time she had to organize them during the interview.

Nick did however insist on constantly looking over her shoulder and oh-so-helpfully pointing out small details she had either overlooked during the interview or had outright missed during her nap.

"Oh yeah, Fluff, I wouldn't expect you wouldn't know this but Flash is a three-toed sloth, specifically."

"Thank you, Nick…"

"Actually, the car wasn't simply _red_ , it was _cherry red_. Yes, there's a difference."

" _Thank you_ , Nick…"

"Woah, woah, woah, it wasn't just any old street race they ran that night, it was a _Tōge_. Very technically demanding. Lots of tight turns and drifting involved."

"THANK YOU, NICK."

"You are most welcome, darlin'."

"Grrr…" she was beginning to lose her patience with the fox, but just before he wound her up too tightly, he suddenly switched to being ACTUALLY helpful, sliding over a set of neatly hand-written notes.

"Here's a summary of everything you missed in the interview. Aaaand detailed notes on the following page."

"Thank you, Nick!" This time she meant it, feeling a warm tingle in her chest as she admired his handwriting and the organization of his notes.

"Oh wow, so we've got dates and possible locations of races for the next three months too? That's pretty ballsy of them to plan that far ahead…"

"Yep, and the next race is four days from now, Friday night. The location was originally the Tundra Town docks, but given the police activity – ahem, OUR activity in that region, they're likely to switch to the south docks in Sahara Square."

"Not bad, rookie. At this rate, we'll make an officer out of you in no time!"

"And a gentlemammal too, I hope."

"You are already a gentlemammal to me," she purred.

"Is that so, Fluff?" he asked, laying the charm on thick, . She requeak.

"Yes, when you're not being a skunk butt and betting against me in office pools!"

A black and white striped head popped over the divider, an irate look on its face. "Hey!"

"Oops, sorry Skunkton!" the bunny exclaimed apologetically, covering her mouth with both paws, "I didn't mean any offense…"

The skunk office worker gave her an unimpressed look, but it quickly gave way to a mischievous, little grin as he coyly replied, "Oh, that's fine, Hopps. Just means I get one free cute card to use against you later."

A low, animal growl wiped the grin off the skunk's face, and drew an alarmed look from both him and the rabbit. Beside her, the vulpine was fixing the skunk with a look of extreme displeasure.

"…or not!" he recoiled back into his seat. "Nevermind, Officer Hopps, all's forgiven!"

The instant that striped head dropped out of sight, the bunny rounded on her partner, thumping him on the arm and breaking the glare he was still focusing in the direction of the monochromatic mammal on the other desk.

"Nick? Seriously?" she hissed.

"Ow, what?" he asked, blinking at her in surprise.

"You know he could lodge a complaint to HR over aggressive behavior!"

"Sorry Fluff. Guess the hours are getting to me…" he deferred, glancing off towards the door. "How much longer have we got anyway?"

She gave him a despairing look, glancing briefly over the divider at Skunkton and sagging back into her chair with a sigh of relief as the other mammal seemed to have already forgotten the incident and was getting on with his own reports. She turned back to her partner, filing this little incident under _Kick the fox's butt for this later_ and checked the clock on her computer.

"Well, it's just past five now, so less than an hour and your first day on the job will officially be done."

"You realize that means we have less than that to submit the report, right?"

"Way ahead of you, Slick," inputting a command into the terminal, "Report is printing, and YOU get to proof it one last time before we submit it to the Chief."

"Oh, yay… more paperwork."

"Get used to it. It's 90% of the job…."

Nick grumbled softly, but set straight to work proof-reading the report and double-checking for any inaccuracies. There were none to find, of course, but Judy loved giving her partner the run-around as a small piece of payback. It also gave her a moment to steel her nerves to ask the question that had been playing in the back of her mind for days.

"So Nick… any plans for tonight?" she asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Hmm? Not really, why?" he asked, glancing up from the report.

She started strong, but her voice shrank smaller and smaller as her nerves petered out, "Oh, I was just wondering if… if you're not too tired…. maybe you would like to… if it isn't asking too much… maybe join me f'rafew…."

"What's that, Fluff? Speak up. I don't have rabbit ears, you know," he teased, grinning down at her from his seat. That annoying expression brought her right back on top of her game.

"Drinks!" she exclaimed a little too loudly, betraying just a hint of the annoyance he was inspiring. "I was wondering if you would like to go for drinks later. With me…."

Nick's grin faded slightly as doubts started to creep into his mind. Did he want to go out for drinks with his best friend and partner? Yes, yes he did. Did he trust himself not to cross the line given how the day had been going so far, combined with drinking? No, no he did not.

"Gee, I dunno, Carrots," he started, avoiding her gaze and trying to turn it into a joke, "I just started this new job and I would hate to be late on my second day…."

"Come on, Nick, it's your first successful day of your dream job. We should celebrate!" she insisted, bouncing excitedly in her seat. Where the heck did she get all this energy from?

"I didn't think my dream job would have this much paperwork," he remarked, stalling for time as he continued to proof the report. She kept staring at him intently, refusing to back down.

' _Of course she wouldn't, this is Judy after all; she doesn't know when to quit.'_

A thought occurred to him, and he quickly voiced it.

"Will we be meeting up with some of our other coworkers?"

That got an interesting reaction out of her. She became more evasive and stopped trying to catch his eye.

"N-not exactly. Not tonight, at least," she mumbled, fidgeting with her ears, "I was thinking… I mean, I was just hoping that… you know, that it would be just us…"

"Why, Fluff, are you asking me out on a date?" he asked, teasingly.

"Ye-no! Just… just drinks. To celebrate. As partners," she stressed, turning back to him to hold his gaze again and prove her sincerity. She kept her ears as flat as possible to hide the more obvious tell of her blush.

Nick avoided looking at her, so completely missed the slight blush in her face, and flippantly remarked, "Carrots, you've already spent the entire day with me. You're going to get bored of me eventually."

"NEVER!" she nearly shouted, garnering the attention of a number of other officers currently in the room. She fought down a deeper blush and lowered her voice as she leaned closer, "I could never get bored of spending time with you. You're my best friend, after all."

Nick finally let his eyes travel back to the bunny, taking in the sweet and sincere look in her eyes as she practically begged him to surrender his evening to her. The evening he had hoped to spend alone, quietly reflecting on the day. Realizing there was no way out of this situation, he relented with an overly-dramatic sigh of resignation.

"Alright," he conceded with a gentle smile, "One drink."

"YES!"

She all but tackled him in his chair, wrapping her arms around his waist in a grateful hug. Nick could only sit there looking slightly embarrassed as the smaller mammal snuggled into his side and held the embrace a little longer than appropriate given the setting.

Mercifully, his desk phone started to ring, causing the bunny to let go, surprised and curious to see who could be calling the station's newest officer on his very first day.

The caller ID read _Chief Bogo_.

Both fox and bunny felt a pit drop in their stomachs on seeing that name displayed.

"Why is the chief calling you?" Judy asked, genuinely confused.

"Maybe I already got that promotion to full officer?"

"Har har. Well, don't keep him waiting," she said apprehensively as the phone sounded its third ring.

Nick picked up, and a deep voice immediately began talking.

" _Wilde. Is yours and Hopps' report on the street racer ready?"_

"Yes Chief," he replied as casually as he could.

" _Good. Bring it to my office."_

"Now Sir?"

" _Now."_

 _Click._

Nick stared at the receiver in his paw uncertainly as the line went dead. Judy's eyes were wide with equal trepidation.

"I think that went well," he said, hanging up the phone.

"I don't know, he sounded extra mad about something," she responded.

"Well, we won't know until we ask him," came the chipper reply from the fox as he dismounted his chair and started towards the door. Judy was after him in a flash, a worried look on her face.

"Nick. Please don't go antagonizing the Chief any more. You know he didn't appreciate that joke in the bullpen this morning."

"Noted. No taunting Buffalobutt."

"In fact, why don't you let _me_ do the talking this time?"

"And deprive the chief of my valuable insights?"

The bunny stopped him at the foot of the stairs, openly expressing her concern in the look she gave him.

"Nick, please, I know I've said this already, but today has been everything I dreamed of, and I don't want anything to go wrong…"

He might have felt a little put out at the implication that he would intentionally sabotage the day, but that same sweet sincerity in her face once again had him folding to her request.

' _How does she do this to me?'_

"Alright, Fluff. I'll keep my muzzle shut just this once, I promise. No jokes, no puns, no snarky comments, no observational humor…"

"No hustles…" she added with a smug expression.

"Hah. You must think I'm mad, to suggest that I would want to hustle the chief on my first day!" he exclaimed, before quietly adding, "I'll at least leave it to my second…"

"I wouldn't put it past you to go for it on day one, Slick…"

"I don't know whether to be offended by the insinuation, or flattered by your faith in my skills!" he vociferated, planting a paw over his heart dramatically.

"Little of both?"

"Little of both."

They shared a playful smile before climbing the stairs, both feeling a little more confident in the coming confrontation. That feeling lasted right up until they were stood outside the massively imposing door to the chief's office.

"Ok… ready?" she asked breathily, steeling her nerves.

"On your lead, partner," he replied cheerily, secretly glad that she was going in first.

"Alright, here goes."

With that, she knocked boldly on the door.

"Enter," called a gruff voice from within. Judy promptly reached up and pulled down the handle, pushing the door open and taking an energetic step into the office. Nick nonchalantly strolled in behind her, holding the report to his chest.

"Evening, Chief! We brought the report you asked for!" she exclaimed, smiling amiably at their commanding officer.

Bogo sat with his elbows propped up on the desk, his hooves curled one over the other in front of his snout as he coolly regarded the rabbit. Behind him the shutters on his windows were drawn, and despite the luminous overhead lighting in the room, everything seemed to be cast in forbidding shadows, including the Chief himself. It felt like they were walking into an interrogation chamber, and the intensity of his stare caused Judy's cheerful façade to falter.

"Hopps. Did I call for you?" he asked, the question feeling more like an accusation.

"Well, not specifically, Sir, but you called my partner's desk and-"

"Is your last name Wilde?"

"No, Sir, but-"

"Then take your fluffy tail back to your desk and wait there until I call for you," he commanded, biting off every word as if he resented speak each one of them.

Judy hesitated, reluctant to leave her partner alone with the Chief.

"Now, Hopps!"

Judy turned and gave Nick an uncertain look, her ears and little tail drooping as she started for the door. Nick shrugged and turned to follow her.

"Not you, Wilde."

Judy stopped in the door and turned to argue with the Chief again, but the unusually vicious glare he fixed on her had her thinking better of it. And then there was the reassuring smile Nick gave her which set some of her worries at ease. ' _Don't worry, Carrots, I've got this…'_ he communicated with that look.

She let out a breath and nodded at him in acceptance. ' _Okay, Slick, I believe in you…'_ She smiled at him faintly as the door closed between them and they were separated.

* * *

On the other side of the door, Nick turned to face the cape buffalo sat at the desk. Bogo returned the look, his face now impassive and unreadable, before barking a single-word command to the rookie officer in front of him.

"Report."

"It's half past five o'clock and all's well, Sir," came the fox's glib reply.

"Give me the _street racer report_ , then sit down and shut up," he demanded impatiently, before pointing at the chair opposite.

"Yes Sir, Chief Bogo, Sir."

Nick hopped straight up onto the cheap, plastic chair facing the Chief's desk, leaning over to place the report in front of Bogo before dutifully taking his seat on the too-large furnishing. The Chief silently produced his reading glasses and picked up the papers, taking his time to read through it, sheet by sheet. All the while Nick sat there with an amiable grin on his vulpine features, trying to shut out the ticking of the wall clock as the silence stretched between the two mammals.

Eventually, the buffalo lowered the paper and addressed the fox in a neutral tone without looking up.

"I see that you completed your assignment, as requested."

"That is correct, Sir."

"You even managed to open up some new leads for us into the dockside racing circuits. Well done."

"Glad to be of service, Sir."

The buffalo snorted dismissively, finally raising his eyes from the report to look directly at the fox again.

"By the way, Wilde, how's your ear?"

"My ear, Sir?"

"Your partner gave it quite the tweak earlier."

"When did she-"

"Why does Officer Hopps have a step-ladder?" He asked in an unimpressed voice, as if repeating a decidedly unfunny joke someone had…

Nick's heart dropped as he realized Bogo must have been watching the interview with Flash from behind the glass and caught his joking exchange with the sloth.

"I was… building rapport with a key witness?" he said with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sure you were," the buffalo muttered, placing the report to the side, seemingly losing interest in it. "You have quite the unorthodox approach to police work, it seems."

"Well, Sir, I am nothing if not unconventional."

"Nicholas- May I call you Nicholas?" he asked, removing his reading glasses.

"Only if I may call you Mondara, Sir."

That earned a surprised snort from the buffalo; his given name was not common knowledge.

"No, you may not."

Bogo allowed an uncomfortable silence to stretch out.

"Nicholas…"

"I prefer Nick."

He gave another, more annoyed snort and fixed the fox with an irate glare for several seconds.

" _Nicholas_ ," the soft growl in the buffalo's voice carried enough of an unspoken threat that even Nick thought better of making another wisecrack. Confident the fox would no longer interrupt, the chief continued.

"Tell me, what exactly was it that you did before you decided to join the force?"

"Well, as it says in my file, Sir, I was self-employed."

"Doing what exactly?"

"A little bit of everything, really. Nothing illegal of course."

The buffalo remained motionless, simply fixing the vulpine with that intimidating glare. Outwardly, Nick kept that indifferent smirk going, but inwardly his heart was in his throat.

"…Sir, if you're worried about that little tax issue I had, that was all squared away with city hall before I went to the academy."

That wasn't a bluff either. Two weeks after locking up Bellwether and just a week after he had officially submitted his application to the ZPD, he had received a letter from city hall, explaining out of the blue that, " _In light of the claimant's contribution to the stability of the city, The Zootopian Municipal Tax Office is pleased to extend this letter forgiving the claimant of any unpaid dues for this and all previous years. Additionally, any discrepancies in past tax reporting has been forgiven. This letter is issued on the proviso that from the beginning of the new year, the claimant shall henceforth file all future documentation correctly."_

In short, he had been given a get out of jail free card, as long as he paid his taxes from now on. He suspected Judy had a hand in arranging that letter, but he chose to simply count his bunny blessings rather than question them. Whatever the cause, his tax issue had been resolved.

"Yes, I know. Who do you think pushed through that decision in the absence of a mayor?"

' _Ah.'_

"I see. Thank you, Sir."

"You still haven't told me precisely what line of work you were in, Nicholas."

"As I said, Sir. I was self-employed. I went around the city looking for opportunities to legally earn a few bucks. And I usually made enough to make ends meet."

"I see…" Bogo muttered thoughtfully, neither pleased nor displeased with the answer, as far as he could tell anyway. The buffalo was virtually unreadable and that unsettled the fox, because he had made a living out of being able to read any mammal. He felt perpetually on the back foot now though, and was not sure what to expect next. As a result, the buffalo's next words caught him totally by surprise.

"Give me your badge."

Nick's ears shot up as his heart froze momentarily at that demand. He struggled to keep a note of panic out of his voice.

"Sir?"

"Did I stutter?"

"No Sir."

Nick reluctantly unpinned the badge from his shirt, standing up on his chair as he reached over the desk to hand it to the chief. He felt an indescribable sense of loss as the buffalo pried the shield out of his paw. He was sure he hadn't given the buffalo any reason to confiscate his badge, but the irrational part of his mind started digging up every awful thing he had done in his life to hold against him for this.

Bogo meanwhile, merely sat back, carefully considering the item he now held and taking his time to inspect it, as if letting the fox sweat it out.

"What does this badge mean to you, Wilde?"

There was just a little bit too much theatricality to that phrase, as if it was one he had said to a hundred officers before him, and the sly part of Nick's mind labelled this little display for what it was. ' _He's testing my resolve! Not a bad little hustle, Chief, you ALMOST had me, but...'_ Nick's ears remained attentive, but inwardly he relaxed, allowing the faintest hint of his smirk to return as he launched into an answer he had prepared for just such a question.

'… _never try to out-hustle a hustler.'_

"Well, sir..." he began, feigning uncertainty but slowly building in confidence while allowing the words to flow from him with increasing pace, "It all comes down to those three little words on the front of the shield; Trust, Bravery, and Integrity. These three ideals represent the qualities that we each should strive for as officers in order to best represent the force. The badge itself is a symbol that we are ready to embody all of those virtues in the course of protecting and serving the city of Zootopia and all the mammals within her bounds. It's a mark of pride, indicating that we have earned the privilege to serve, but it is also a mark of responsibility, reminding us of the expectations that are placed on us by the city. In summary, Sir, that badge is a declaration that I am here to represent this city and uphold her laws as one of her officers."

The buffalo tilted an eyebrow, outwardly expressing his appreciation of that reply.

"I see. A commendable answer," he complimented, "Worthy to be included in the ZPA training manual itself, I'd wager."

"Thank you, Sir," the fox replied, sensing that the old bull was laying it on a little thick, but nevertheless allowing more of his smirk to show through.

"Of course, it's also complete bullshit."

The smirk vanished.

"And I should know," the buffalo continued unabated, "I am one of the best bullshitters in this city. You wouldn't believe the amount of schmoozing I have to do with city hall just to execute my duties. They didn't put THAT in the job description, let me tell you."

Nick was once more on the backfoot, overwhelmed by a rising sense of dread and uncertainty at where this was going. Bogo meanwhile was fixing him with an implacable stare that only served to further unnerve the fox.

"However, when it comes to the most cringeworthy wheedling, conniving and outright _bullshittery_ , nothing compares to the individual described in this file."

Bogo reached down into an unseen compartment of his desk and pulled out a file as thick as Nick's torso. He slammed it down on the desk with such force that the resulting bang left the fox's ears ringing.

"Nicholas, would you care to hazard a guess at whom this file describes?"

The fox felt his ears fall all the way back. He knew there was no need to answer that question because the name was written plainly across the top - ' _Nicholas P. Wilde.'_

"You see, Nicholas, while you were away at the academy, we ran an extensive background check on you, digging into the archives for any scrap of your history that we might have on file. And what we found… let me just say, I have _never_ seen the like of it in my entire career."

The buffalo began leafing through the hefty document, page by page.

"Countless shreds of circumstantial evidence pieced together from one hundred and thirty-three affidavits and nearly two hundred sworn statements dating back over the last two decades. Nothing admissible in court, of course, but all painting a picture of a single scheming, trouble-making con-artist who apparently has been running a seemingly endless series of con jobs throughout this city for the last twenty years. A mammal so unbelievably _shifty_ – and believe me I do not use that word lightly – It's almost as if he was going out of his way to embody every negative stereotype about foxes out there."

Nick felt his blood run cold, and he tried not to let his jaw hit the floor as he processed what the chief was saying. Sure he had sometimes been a little sloppy in the cons he had run, especially in his early days, but he had never considered that there could be so many loose ends from the various hustles he had pulled over the years or how many near misses with the law that represented. He tried to rally his senses quickly before Bogo could completely steamroller him with that file – and it looked just heavy enough to do it too.

"This is all very easy to explain, sir," the fox started, trying to placate the buffalo with his friendly tone, "You see, I've always been careful to keep all of my business dealings legal-"

"Barely," the buffalo cut in.

"Sure, some of them may have skirted the law-"

"Most of them."

"Ok, most of them. But I have never outright broken any laws…"

"That we can prove."

Nick felt his frustration building out of control, and his hackles started to stand on end as he tried to push back at the chief's onslaught.

"Sir, why are we having this conversation? I passed the academy near the top of my class and you already personally accepted my application to the force, so what purpose does it serve to dredge up the past?"

"I am the one asking questions here, Nicholas," came the icy response.

Nick sat back in his chair, tamping down the rising frustration and panic he was feeling.

"Yes, you passed the academy, near the top of your class too," the buffalo added with a dismissive tone, "But all that tells me is you can handle what this city can throw at you physically, and that you have an exceptional understanding of the _word_ of the law. And we already knew both of those things about you."

Bogo switched from a dismissive tone to an accusing one, his eyes boring into the smaller predator with every word.

"What I'm not convinced about is whose side you're really on, Nicholas, and reading this file has only deepened my concerns. Every single one of these papers represents a piece of information that we know about your activities over the last two decades. And this is only what little circumstantial evidence we were able to dig up. How many hundreds more cons have you run that we don't know about?"

Nick couldn't answer that question because he honestly did not know. He did not keep count but, if he was to hazard a guess, it would be in the thousands. He kept quiet rather than further incriminate himself. Bogo snorted at his silence and continued to berate him.

"As if normal witness accounts were not enough, several of the most compelling pieces of evidence came from the testimony of convicted criminals who all evidently had dealings with you in the past. From what we can tell, from a very young age you've been involved with criminal elements in all corners of this city, including the Tundra Town mafia, and even had direct dealings with Mr. Big himself."

Bogo paused momentarily to let that revelation sink in before continuing his methodical dissection of the fox.

"Quite frankly, every sheet I read from this file draws me further and further toward the conclusion that you really are exactly the sort of sly, untrustworthy, and selfish mammal that gives foxes such a bad name. And let me make something abundantly clear to you, Nicholas, I will NOT allow my precinct to be compromised by the self-serving interests of a conmammal!"

Nick swallowed the urge to growl as the buffalo got in his face, and tried not to bare his teeth as he directed every ounce of willpower he had into replying calmly, "Look, Sir, I am _NOT_ the same mammal you read about in that file. Not anymore. Judy – Officer Hopps helped me to turn my life around, and after the Nighthowler case I cut all ties to that old life. I stopped hustling. For good."

The buffalo was simmering to a boil with every word the fox said, and just as soon as Nick spoke his piece, Bogo exploded.

"Twenty years, Nicholas!" came a deafening bellow, "Twenty years of swindling, lying, cheating – _hustling_ as you called it – _just_ underneath our radar. _Right_ under our noses. And you _honestly_ expect me to believe that one day a cute, little bunny from the burrows came along and just like that you were ready to turn over a new leaf? Why should _ANYONE_ believe that?"

"Don't call her cute," Nick retorted with a growl in his voice, his fur standing on end as his temper started to tick over beyond his ability to control it.

"You are in no position to make demands, Wilde," the buffalo roared, "so cut it out and answer the damned question!"

Nick finally snapped.

"Fine! You want to know why should anyone believe that? Because _she_ did the one thing no one else ever did in all those years!" he snarled back angrily, "She gave me a chance! She put her faith in me! She trusted me, both then AND now!"

Nick realized he was standing in the chair, sharp teeth on full display as he stared up angrily at the chief of police. He tried to check his rage, taking a slow breath and sheathing his fangs before continuing.

"No-one had ever done that for me before. She made me believe that I can be more than the stereotype others had muzzled me with. And you know what the craziest part is? I believed her. I still do."

The fire seemed to dim slightly in Bogo's eyes as he leaned back in his chair thoughtfully.

"...yes, that rabbit's optimism is _nauseatingly_ infectious."

"Amen to that," the fox breathed, feeling a bit of the tension leave the room and resuming his smirk.

"So is that the real reason you're here, Nicholas? For her?"

And there was that tension again.

"Am I here to help Officer Hopps make the world a better place?" Nick asked, deflecting the question, "Yes, yes I am. That's her dream after all."

The buffalo fixed him with another unnerving stare.

"I wasn't asking about your _insipid, little dreams_ , Nicholas. I was asking about what is going on between you and Hopps."

Nick felt a fresh wave of that dread and a cold pit growing in his stomach at Bogo's words. He tried to maintain his composure as he asked, "What exactly are you implying, sir?"

"I don't need to imply anything, Nicholas. You've done an excellent job of making your intentions towards Hopps abundantly clear."

Reaching forward, the buffalo dropped a photograph of a blue uniformed red fox and grey bunny standing in the middle of a familiar looking street. The image was drenched in sunset colors, and the pair stood with eyes half-lidded, holding both of each-other's paws and their muzzles alarmingly close as if they were about to share a kiss. Nick swallowed reflexively as he recognized the scene in the middle of Acacia Street from just a few hours ago, and dimly remembered seeing at least one mammal with their phone out who must have taken this very picture. How it had wound its way into the Chief's possession was a separate mystery, one he would not have time to delve into right now.

Nick pressed his paws firmly into his lap to keep them from shaking as he looked back up at the buffalo, whose face was now completely impassive again.

"Would you like me to read to you the ZPD's policies on fraternization and conduct unbecoming an officer? I'm fairly certain it's covered early in academy training, but allow me to refresh your memory."

"Sir, I can explain that photo…"

Bogo ignored him as he produced another document and began to read it verbatim.

"As per the charter of the city of Zootopia, all officers have the guaranteed right to freedom of association and privacy. This extends to all _private_ and lawful sexual behavior and cannot be regulated by the ZPD."

"Chief Bogo…" Nick pleaded, digging his claws into his trousers.

"However, wherein behavior publicly demonstrates conduct unbecoming an officer or contravenes the general orders of the ZPD, sanctions may be justified, subject to approval by the director of HR and the Chief. Starting to sound familiar, Nicholas?"

"SIR!" he yelled, the panic now evident in his voice, "I realize that public displays of affection in uniform are frowned upon, but does that really constitute a _sanction_?"

"Nicholas, what do you see in this picture?"

He tried to parry.

"A fantastic eye for lighting and composition. My compliments to the photographer, they really know their craft. Can I get a copy?"

"Strike one," the buffalo riposted in a low, dangerous growl, "You have two strikes left, Officer Wilde..."

Nick swallowed down that panicky feeling, and approached the request objectively.

"…I see two mammals in ZPD uniforms, caught in what looks like an intimate moment in public."

"Very good. That is exactly what it looks like."

"Sir, please let me explain, it's not like that at all."

"Then what is it like, Wilde? Because all I see right now is the same no-good hustler who has tricked and traipsed his way through life, manipulating the people closest to him and taking what he wants without giving anything back."

"Sir, that is not my intention. I am on your side and… and I want to make a difference!"

"By seducing one of my best officers and distracting her from the job she has devoted her whole life to?"

"Sir, I…" he faltered. Bogo saw the opening and charged.

"What, are you going to tell me that you are in love with this bunny? Spare me the fairy tale, we both know how this city feels about open interspecies relationships, and it's not pretty for either of you. But it's especially not pretty for her. For you, you can just go back to your hustling, skirting the law for the rest of your life. For her, her career will be over."

"That… that is not what I want!"

"No? Then what do you really want, Nicholas? Are you really here to make a difference, or will you be out the door once the glamour of the uniform wears off and you get distracted by the next cute female who comes along?"

"STOP CALLING HER CUTE!" he snarled openly.

"Why? Do you think she's yours to protect? Your possession? Your mate? You think I haven't read about the other females you've _hustled_ in a similar fashion, all so you could earn a quick buck?"

That staggered the fox.

"Oh yes, we managed to dig up a couple of _those_ from the archives too. It's all in the file. You had quite the streak when you were younger, and these are just the ones we know about. _Nothing illegal,_ of course. That's not your style, is it, Nicholas?"

"I haven't pulled a hustle like that in over a decade…" he breathed, more than one painful memory resurfacing. He had done some awful things to some undeserving mammals in his earlier days, and the guilt he still carried was what had driven him to find victimless cons, such as the popsicle hustle.

"No," the buffalo trampled onwards, "But there have been plenty of other hustles. Your little tricks, manipulating people into giving you what you want, when you want it. Isn't that how you started your little friendship with Hopps? Tricking her into doing your bidding, then leaving her by the wayside once she'd served your purpose?"

Nick was shocked, both at Bogo's knowledge of that event and at the realization that even his "victimless" popsicle hustle had claimed at least one victim.

"How did you-?"

"Answer the question."

Nick realized he was shaking. Anger, guilt, disgust and shame all were bubbling to the surface and threatening to explode out at the continued assault on his character. He settled on anger.

"…you know what? No!" he growled, "I don't have to sit here and listen to another second of _this_ from _you._ I'm out of here."

With that he leapt down from his chair and marched resolutely for the exit.

"Nicholas," came a frighteningly calm voice behind him. "If you set one foot out that door you can forget about putting this badge on ever again. That will be strike two AND three, and you will be out. For good."

With his paw on the door, Nick briefly considered just snarling an expletive at the buffalo and storming out, but as he squeezed the handle the image of Judy's face floated to the front of his mind, drawing his memory back to that hug outside the precinct. ' _Today has been everything I dreamed of. And more. There's no way you could disappoint me…'_

With that his anger slipped away, along with his paw from the door handle. He let his arm fall loosely to his side as he stepped back towards the chair with a quiet sigh. "I hope you know what you've gotten me into here, dumb bunny…"

' _You know you love me.'_

Nick hesitated as that memory briefly resurfaced and he was hit with a fresh wave of guilt. Had he been unknowingly manipulating her this whole time? No, now was _not_ the time for those thoughts. He was fighting a losing battle already and he would need his remaining wits together to endure and overcome whatever the buffalo threw at him next. He couldn't afford to let Bogo see he was getting to him.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, Sir," he announced resolutely, jumping back up into the chair, his smirk firmly in place.

"Good, then stay there and keep your pointy little muzzle shut. I warn you, Wilde, one more outburst like that and I will toss you out myself."

Nick clamped his mouth shut and focused on keeping his negative emotions from bubbling up again. However, now that he was back on that chair where he had already received such vicious criticism, and with no means to properly defend himself, he felt trapped. The sensation was compounded by the command to shut his muzzle. Even without a physical restraint, Bogo had effectively pinned him down to the spot and muzzled him. He fought down a surge of panic that threatened to send him hyperventilating. The chief was watching him with unwavering scrutiny, looking for any sign of weakness. But he would not show anything. To do so now would mean to admit defeat and to lose everything he had worked for.

Bogo waited until he had the fox's undivided attention again before launching into his final tirade, mimicking Nick's earlier canned speech by starting slow and building to a crescendo of condemnation.

"So, let's review. We have a fox who, despite assurances, has lived his entire adult life as if he were trying to prove every ugly stereotype about his species was right. A fox who, despite no provable prior offenses, has connections with criminal elements across the entire city, including the Tundra Town mafia, the largest criminal syndicate in Zootopia. A fox who has made a living by _hustling_ the honest citizens of Zootopia for the better part of two decades for his own personal gain. And who now thinks he is justified to waltz into the Chief of Police's office in a little uniform and with a piece of brass pinned to his chest and suddenly start calling himself an officer of the law. Am I correct so far, Nicholas?"

Nick could give no answer except to sit there silently, quivering in shame and disgust as his history was laid out in front of him. His face was becoming numb with the effort to keep from showing any emotion while also fighting down the panic that was eating away at him inside from being in this position. He could feel himself slipping even as he attempted in vain to compose ANY kind of response to his accuser, his mind instead faltering and tripping over each guilt-ridden memory the buffalo's tirade forced him to recall.

"You say you want to represent this city as one of her officers. That you deserve her _Trust_ , that you possess the _Bravery_ and the _Integrity_ outlined on this badge," he continued, hammering the fox with each of those words, "But tell me, Nicholas, how can this city trust you when you have spent so many years deceiving her mammals? How can you call yourself brave when your whole life has been spent hiding behind a mask of lies? And how can you claim to have ANY integrity in the face of everything in this file!?"

Nick felt the blood draining from his face. Was there anything he could say or do that could satisfy those charges? For all his good intentions and desire to change, what did he have to show for it?

"Well? Do you have an answer for me, Wilde?"

Nick looked up at the buffalo, utterly shellshocked. His jaw opened and snapped closed, his lips quivered, desperate to make any kind of defense, but he couldn't find any words to rebuff the searing condemnation he had been struck with.

For the first time in his adult life, Nicholas Wilde was rendered truly and utterly speechless. Waves of remorse washed over the fox as he felt his walls crumble and he dropped his head into one paw. He sat there in a near-catatonic state, for the first time forced to face off with his past and all the awful things he had done that could not be excused, regardless of his reasons.

Behind his desk, Bogo fell silent too as he impassively watched the vulpine trying not to fall apart in front of him.

* * *

After the door closed, Judy remained standing there for moment, caught between the desire to stay and try to eavesdrop on the conversation within, or to do as she was told and go back to her desk and wait. She wanted very much to stand beside her partner, but she also considered that Bogo would not call him in for a surprise one-to-one meeting without a very good reason. Her more rational side eventually won out and she descended the stairs back to the office space.

To take her mind off of worrying, she forced her thoughts to return to the conversation she was having with Nick prior to Bogo's call, and she found herself looking forward to spending the evening with her best friend. She couldn't help feeling a pang of guilt for pressuring Nick to agree to go out for drinks after his first day at work, but she reasoned that it would be an effective way to unwind, especially after going head-to-head with the chief.

She just hoped that whatever Bogo wanted to talk to Nick about wouldn't be too taxing for her partner, after all it had been a long day and Nick seemed pretty tired before he went up there. In fact, he looked exhausted, not the best state for a meeting with your boss. And just like that, she wound up worrying about him again. Images of Bogo trampling all over her partner rushed into her mind and she turned on her heel, contemplating rushing back up the stairs to do _something_ to save him.

' _No, Judy, get a grip. Nick is one of the smartest, bravest and toughest mammals you know.'_

She clenched her fists and forced herself to take a breath as she reminded herself of everything she had been through with the fox, and all the trials he had faced alone before she had came along. Despite knowing him less than a year, and still knowing so little about his past, she felt she had a far better understanding of him than of any other mammal she knew, including her own family.

' _Nick can handle himself. The chief could throw the entire book at that dumb, sly, handsome fox and he wouldn't even flinch! I mean, yeah, he'd duck, because that is one heavy book, but still!'_

Judy felt herself relaxing as she reassured herself with that thought. Touching a paw to her heart, inadvertently brushing the badge gleaming on her chest, she spared one last glance up at the door on first floor before heading back to her desk.

* * *

Only the ticking of the clock filled the room as the silence between the fox and the buffalo continued to stretch into minutes, neither side either willing or able to make another move just yet.

This wasn't the first time Bogo had hazed a new recruit. In fact, every single rookie who joined Precinct One was subjected to the same treatment, all getting called into his office at the end of their first day for a talk that would determine whether they would be back for a second. For many there wasn't, having been pushed to the point of cracking and either quitting or asking to be transferred to a less demanding precinct.

That was the unfortunate point of this. Bogo needed to see how his officers handled being pushed to the edge, whether they would rise or fall in the critical moment. He simply could not afford to have officers who might break in the field, and he had gotten very skilled at digging into a mammal to test their resolve.

The only exception for this treatment had been Judy Hopps, as she had gotten far worse treatment at the buffalo's hooves. Despite that, she had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that she possessed the resolve to bear out under any pressure, no matter how great. Still, Bogo sincerely regretted his prejudice toward the rabbit, who had turned out to be one of the finest officers ever to serve under him. He had vowed never again to overstep himself in that manner.

However, he found himself dangerously close to crossing that line again with Wilde.

Unfortunately, it couldn't be helped. Bogo hadn't exaggerated when he told the fox he had never seen the like of his file before. Never in all his years as chief had a recruit set foot in his office with such a storied past, and the fact that he appeared to be in the midst of a fledgling romance with his supervising officer only compounded matters. It painted an ugly picture of the mammal before him - a stark contrast to the heroic fox Hopps had described.

Besides needing to test his resolve, Bogo also wanted to be sure this wasn't all just some ruse of an exceptionally talented con-artist who had suckered the bunny cop into his plan. And so he had pushed a little harder than normal, partly to test Nick's desire to be a an officer, but also to look him square in the eye and find out if there was an ulterior motive to his joining.

Unfortunately, looking at the face of the mammal in front of him, Bogo was now convinced that, whatever the fox's deeper reasons for wanting to be a cop, he wouldn't bear out under the pressure. The fox was wearing the face of a mammal who would inevitably crack at the worst possible moment, and the buffalo would never let his officers be jeopardized by allowing such a mammal in their ranks again.

Bogo lowered his eyes and allowed himself a moment of introspection to fully experience the feeling of regret this encounter had laden him with. Then he filed that feeling away and began methodically planning out what would happen next. He would offer the fox an opportunity to either resign or accept a transfer to a smaller precinct. However, given that his motivations for joining were evidently tied up with whatever misguided feelings or plans he had for Hopps, Nicholas would more than likely resign than be forced to work apart from her.

Bogo knew that Hopps would be crushed to learn her partner ultimately didn't make the cut. He would of course offer her some time off to get through this, and she would of course refuse and throw herself into her work instead. Regardless, she was an excellent officer, and he could count on her to pull through. He wished he could have said the same for her partner, but there was no use lamenting that now. In the best case scenario, if Nick kept his nose clean and found some actual legitimate line of work, and if Hopps still chose to pursue a relationship with him, then that was none of the buffalo's concern. However, in the worst case scenario, if the fox went back to his borderline criminal ways, the buffalo would be forced to take drastic action to remove his toxic influence from Hopps' life.

Bogo nodded to himself and returned his attention to the fox, ready to accept the mammal's resignation.

What he was met with instead caused the buffalo's breath to involuntarily catch in his throat.

Facing the chief were a pair of predatory, green eyes boring into him from the chair opposite, full of raw, animal fury. That fury stood in stark contrast to the calm attitude of the fox directing that rage toward him, and for a brief second the buffalo felt an instinctual fear start rising in his gut, hearkening back to the early days of savage predator and prey. Bogo didn't betray that fear except to sit up straighter, and it was gone as soon as it was felt, but it left him with a feeling of renewed interest in the mammal before him.

Despite the vast difference between them, this fox had caused him - Mondara Bogo, chief of police for precinct one, a mammal with nearly thirty years of experience dealing with the worst kind of criminal scum - to feel a pang of fear. The buffalo was keen to hear what this mammal had to say that had inspired such a shift in his attitude. Bogo leaned his elbows on his desk and folded his hooves one over the other under his chin, silently inviting the smaller mammal to express what had re-lit the passion burning in his eyes.

Apparently picking up on this cue, Nick straightened up, and began to speak.

"Chief Bogo," he started respectfully, his voice strained but also filled with a quiet determination, "I'm not going to sit here and try to make excuses for my past behavior. Yes, I was a shameless, self-serving con-artist, and yes I really did go out of my way to be as shifty, sly, and manipulative as others expected a fox like me to be. I convinced myself that was all I ever could be."

The fox paused, allowing the image of his partner to float to the front of his mind, strengthening his resolve, before he continued.

"But then I met Judy and, despite how I played her and disrespected her, she refused to simply see me as an untrustworthy fox. Instead, she saw a mammal who could help her make a difference and do some good for a change. She gave me the chance to be worthy of her trust, to earn it from her, and I decided to take that chance and put my trust in her too. I stuck by her and helped out however I could. I used all of the street smarts I picked up over the years to support her. I faithfully followed her across this city, facing down mobsters, savage mammals, and even the chief of police."

He paused just long enough to let that last point sink in. To his credit, Bogo barely flinched as one of his greatest errors in judgement was brought up, but Nick still caught the reaction and it emboldened him to press on.

"I stood up for her when even her fellow officers tried to force her to resign. I put my very life on the line for her. And I would do it all again without hesitation because I know she would do exactly the same for me, with no regard at all for the fact that I am a fox."

Nick paused briefly as a ghost of a smile played across his lips as he thought about the rabbit who had done so much to change his life.

"Let me just make one thing absolutely clear, Chief. You asked me if I loved her - as if you have any right to pry into our personal affairs like that. However… Do I love her?"

Nick already knew the answer. He had first begun to really be certain of it that morning after their exchange in the car, but he had never been so sure of it until now.

' _Do I know that?'_

Nick swallowed down the emotion that threatened to surge forth as he embraced the truth of his own heart, using it to fuel his resolve.

"Yes... yes I do," he announced, his voice wavering with passion, "Our species and this city's backward expectations be damned. I love Judy Hopps with all of my heart, and I don't care what you or anyone else thinks about that."

Bogo was staring in open surprise at the vulpine now, but made no move to interject. Not that the fox would have permitted him to speak anyway, the soft emotions playing across his features vanishing to be replaced with grim determination.

"But that is not the reason I followed her and put my faith in her. That little rabbit stole my heart, but in exchange she gave me a renewed sense of purpose and perspective about what it means to live in this city and to be a part of it. To have dreams and to try and make them a reality. Even if she never returned my love, I would still devote myself to the dream she shared with me. Because the thing of it is, Chief, it's not just her dream anymore. It's MINE now too. I want to make this city a better place for ALL the mammals who call her home, so that mammals like me will have a chance to grow up to be worthy of the love of a mammal as wonderful as her. I am willing to put everything on the line to make that real. So you do _not_ get to judge either of us for that."

Nick relaxed a little in his chair, taking on a slightly more flippant attitude as he continued.

"Sure, you can go right on ahead sitting comfortably behind your desk, telling me that her dreams - our dreams - are insipid little fantasies. But frankly, Chief? _I don't care_ what you think, because I have been out there with my partner, helping her to make a _real difference_ in this city, and making _our dreams_ a reality with our own paws, in spite of all the obstacles thrown in our paths by prejudiced mammals who can't see beyond out-dated stereotypes."

Nick stood up in his chair now, his movements a little sluggish as he fought against a wave of fatigue. The passion in his eyes was still burning brightly, but was beginning to be edged with tiredness that bled into his voice.

"That said, if you cannot look past who I was and accept who I am now – a mammal trying to make a difference – then that's fine. I will just have to find another way to do my part for this city and the mammal that I love."

Bogo continued to sit motionless as he mulled over everything the fox had said, trying to keep the surprise from showing in his face. Meanwhile, Nick drew himself up for one final salvo.

"And as for that silly little badge?" he asked, drawing himself up to his full height, "You can sit on it, you stuffy old cow."

Bogo's eyebrows shot upward and anger flashed in his gaze at the insult, and for the first time since this encounter began, he stood up from his chair to completely tower over the fox. Nick stared up at him, tired but unintimidated.

"I see," the buffalo snorted, an irritated edge to his voice, "Well, if that is how you truly feel, Wilde, then I have only one more thing to say to you."

"With all due respect, Sir, there's no need," the fox interjected hopping off his chair and moving towards the door, giving the buffalo his back, "I'll show myself out."

"You're forgetting something important, Wilde," the buffalo called after him urgently.

"What?" he asked, frustration, exhaustion, and resentment seething on the edges of his voice as he whirled to face down the buffalo one final time. A glimmer of something golden flying towards his face caused the fox to reflexively reach out and snatch it from the air. He blinked as he stared into his paws at his badge.

Nick's mind tried to untangle the knot of confused emotions and information to make sense of this, but eventually he decided it would be easier to just voice his confusion.

"I don't understand," he said flatly.

"Let me see if I am reading this correctly here…" the buffalo said, glancing down at Nick's file once more, clearing his throat before announcing, "It's called a hustle."

Nick stared at the buffalo agog, the pieces finally falling into place. He sighed softly, finally understanding what all this was about.

"Are you sure you are one of the good guys, Sir?"

"Quite sure."

Nick stared down at the badge again. It suddenly seemed so meaningless, just a cheap little piece of brass.

"So… _it's the mammal who makes the badge, and not the other way around_ , huh? Was that the point of this display?" he asked tiredly.

"A contrived way of putting it, but yes," the buffalo replied.

"To be frank, Sir, I am not sure how to feel about all this."

"Consider it a renewed job offer. You've proven to me you have what it takes to be one of my officers. And we now unequivocally know what kind of mammal the other is. So, the ball is in your court, Wilde. Do you still want the job?"

Nick stared down at the badge in his paws again.

"Before I answer that, there's a couple of things I need to know."

"Go ahead," the buffalo responded patiently.

"Has Judy seen that file?"

"No. Nor will she. Next question."

Nick felt a small measure of relief, but it was short-lived as he considered his second question.

"How did you get that photo? Did you have someone spying on us?"

That got an eyebrow raise from the buffalo.

"My methods may be draconian, Nicholas, but I put my trust in anyone who wears that uniform and badge to conduct themselves responsibly. So no, I did not have anyone spy on you. The photo was dropped off to the precinct anonymously."

Nick sighed softly. He almost wished the chief had been the one behind the photo. It would have made things simpler.

"So that means whoever took that picture could still potentially turn another copy in to the press and create a PR nightmare for the ZPD."

"Correct."

"And, despite that, you still want me to work for you?"

"Yes. The ZPD takes care of its own, and as much as I disapprove of your public behavior, I am willing to overlook it this time, and deal with the consequences of it coming out, if and when that happens."

Nick felt a weight begin to lift from his shoulders and realized he was worrying for Judy and the impact it might have on her career.

"There's no need for you to shoulder that burden, Sir. If it comes out, then I would sooner resign than let my actions harm Judy's career."

"I am sure it won't come to that, Nicholas, but I appreciate your willingness to do so," the buffalo replied, his tone much softer now. He paused momentarily before adding, "So, I take it from your words that you are willing to keep wearing the badge?"

Nick glanced down one last time at the symbol in his paws, but he did not need any more time to consider his answer.

"Absolutely. One hundred percent. Sir."

"Then, welcome to Precinct One, Officer Wilde."

Despite the verbal beating he had just taken from the buffalo, Nick couldn't help but feel a small swell of pride at being formally recognized by the chief. Nick took his time pinning his badge back in its rightful place. His paws were quivering and he felt completely drained after this exchange, but the weight of that brass shield on his chest somehow made him feel lighter and more purposeful.

"Thank you, Chief Bogo, Sir."

The chief snorted what might be interpreted as approval, regarding his newest officer with just a sliver of pride in his eye.

It was a short lived moment.

"There is one final thing, Wilde."

"Yes, Sir?" the fox said, fighting to keep the tiredness out of his voice.

"I know you work well with Hopps, but that isn't enough. I need to know, WE need to know, that you can work well with all of us."

"I have every intention of giving my all to the force, not just to Judy," he replied as patiently as he could, hoping this would not escalate into another browbeating.

"Good, then you won't object when, starting next week, we start rotating your assigned partner."

"Sir that is NOT-"

"No objections, Wilde! This is not a school playground where you get to play at being cops catching bad guys with your little friend. This is a real job and I expect you to conform to the same standards and expectations as every mammal who wears that badge! Am I making myself clear?"

"Abundantly, Sir."

"Good," the buffalo snorted. "As for this thing between you and Hopps?" he continued, "Whatever it is, deal with it. What you do together on your own time, I don't care. But I do not want to see any more PDA while in uniform."

"Does that mean you approve, Sir?" Nick dared to ask in a half-joking tone.

Bogo fixed him with an unimpressed glare, but Nick found himself bearing through it with a defiant smirk.

"It means, keep it under wraps, or I will permanently reassign you to different partners and that will be the end of it. Understood?"

"Understood, Sir," the fox answered, barely breathing. The thought of never working with Judy again was enough to sober him out of any joking mood.

"Good, Dismissed."

Nick turned smartly and headed for the door.

"And send Hopps in here next."

Those words sent ice through Nick's veins, but at this point he could do little to respond beyond turning to the chief and asking, "Sir?"

"Did I stutter?"

Nick shook his head, but his face was plainly displaying fright at the prospect of putting the bunny he loved alone in this room with the chief, especially after the exchange he just had. Bogo's expression softened to sympathy and he sat back in his chair, briefly betraying his own level of exhaustion. Evidently, the exchange between the two mammals had taken its toll on the old bull as well.

"Oh, Don't look so worried, Wilde. This conversation we just had about your past, and this file, are strictly confidential."

Nick wiped the panicked expression off of his muzzle, but he still felt a deep pang of worry. Despite the immense exhaustion weighing down his psyche, he turned and squared off against the Chief one last time.

"May I ask one favour, Sir?"

"You may ask."

"About the partner rotations… Please don't tell Judy yet. Not today at least. It's been such a great day for her, and she'll be devastated when she finds out I'm going to be reassigned to someone else."

"I see," the buffalo said pensively, "Very well, I will give it 24 hours, after which I will inform her. Unless you prefer to tell her yourself?"

"Thank you but no," he muttered in an exhausted tone, "I'll leave crushing her dreams to you."

The buffalo displayed open shock at that remark. Nick blinked in surprise at the reaction, and felt a pang of guilt at the harshness of his own words.

"...Sorry, I didn't mean that," he breathed, shaking his head wistfully, "Heh… today sure has been a long day…."

Bogo recomposed himself and nodded, "Your opinion has been noted, Nicholas. Now get out."

"Sir."

The fox saluted tiredly and let himself out of the chief's office, letting the door swing closed behind him.

The moment Nick vanished out the door, Bogo deflated, suddenly looking a decade older as he dropped his forehead into one hooved paw and let out a long sigh that rustled the papers on his desk. Out of all of his duties, however necessary they may be, this was the one he hated the most, trumped only by attending the funerals of his fallen officers. On some level he was pleased Nicholas had passed this test, but he could not bring himself to feel any pride in how he had established the fox's determination.

Seeking something to distract from his somber thoughts while he waited to Hopps to arrive, Bogo picked up the photo of his fox and bunny officers together on Acacia Street and reexamined it. Now that he knew that this wasn't some sort of trick by the ex-conmammal - and just how in the wrong he was to consider Nicholas as such - he allowed himself to simply appreciate the image of these two mammals who were very obviously falling in love. For all that HR would have an apoplectic fit over their public display of affection, the softer part of Bogo couldn't help but notice how genuinely they seemed to adore each other, and now he had verbal confirmation from at least one of them that there was more to it. Deep down, the buffalo was a bit of a romantic at heart, and he hoped that his actions today hadn't destroyed something irreplaceable between these two exceptional mammals. Not least because he would have an incredibly irate bunny coming after him for his transgression.

"You better show up for work tomorrow, Nicholas," he grumbled at the photo of the fox, "Otherwise I won't be the only one getting shredded."

Collecting up the file on his desk with the fox's name on the cover, he dropped the document into a sealed container marked, _Confidential - Dispose of with Care._ Realizing he was still holding the photo, he made to drop it into the same container, then thought better of it and put the image back in his drawer and closed it. He could always dispose of it later.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Huh, so THAT'S what The Dark Side of The Fluff looks like.**_

 _ **Will Nick be able to get over this depressing hurdle? If he can, will he still be able to work with Bogo and look Judy in the eye? And most important question of all… where did all the fluff go!? Tune in next week to find out!**_

 _ **(Remember: I am One with The Fluff. The Fluff is with me. I am One with The Fluff. The Fluff is with me.)**_

 _ **One thing is for sure, Bogo would make a TERRIBLE psychotherapist. I am not sharing any of my chocolate with him. But I will do with Discord1, whose story you should go and read to pick up your spirits after this trying chapter!**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **I hope I haven't discouraged anyone away with the more dramatic turn this week. Please do leave a review with your thoughts.**_

 _ **Next chapter will be out next Friday and will be more bunny focused. Can't say much more than that, except that there will be Fluff!**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Fun fact, Bogo's name actually comes from the Swahili word for buffalo, "mbogo". Therefore, I reasoned that the M would work for his first name (M. Bogo), and after a bit of research into Swahili male names I found Mondara, which means "leader". Thus, Mondara Bogo!**_

 _ **So there you go. That's about to close to canon as I can get for a first name for the chief. If you like it, use it in your own fan fictions! Or just leave me to use it in mine. It'll probably never come up again either way. Or will it!? Come back next week to find out! (spoiler: It probably won't xD).**_


	7. Chapter 7: Ending the First Shift

_**Well over 7k views now, which is extraordinary. A particular thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the previous chapter. I thought it would be hated, but a lot of you loved it. So apparently I should pick on our protagonists more? Sure, why not!**_

 _ **Never imagined I would be adding anthropomorphic animal abuse to the list of things I would be willing to do to feed my chocolate habit. C'est la vie!**_

 _ **Anyway, this week will mostly be focusing on our favorite bunny, so enjoy!**_

 _ **Incoming (bunny) fluff!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Ending the First Shift**

With the report written up, her partner held up in a meeting with the chief, and no other major outstanding tasks to complete, Judy found herself counting the minutes until the end of her shift. Only thirty more to go. Of course, she still needed to provide her own report to the chief before she clocked out, but that would need to wait until he was done with Nick.

For now, she settled on returning to her desk, reprinting the report, and spending the next several minutes of her life committing every salient detail of the day's events to memory. Soon enough though she grew restless and sought something else to focus her mind on. She wasn't about to let herself waste time pining after her partner (much as a small part of her wanted to). He could handle himself against the Chief; that much she was confident of.

What else could she do, though? The day's report was as complete as it was going to get. She could try running the name Blair through the system again, but it would just come up with the same several hundred hits again, no-one of whom possessed a clear connection to Xander Cage or the racing circuits. She most certainly was _not_ going to spend this time obsessing over the note in her pocket - the one with the name _Cassandra_ written in beautiful, flowy handwriting along the top, followed by a phone number below. That note which seemed so simple and unpretentious, and yet which the bunny couldn't help but find something offensive about.

Okay, maybe she _could_ spare at least one minute on it. After all, she had a promise to keep (much as it pained her to admit), and she needed to plan this out right, given her last couple of failures..

Pulling the note out of her pocket immediately summoned up the image of the bubbly vixen who had written it, and for some reason that image irritated the beeswax out of Judy. It was almost as if Cassandra was trying too hard to fit some outdated stereotype of femininity. Not that the bunny was against acting feminine - she despised being labelled as a tomboy and her father drove her up the wall calling her " _Jude the Dude"_ \- but she had better things to do than to act coquettish towards any male she found attractive. Even a male as attractive as Nick.

' _I hope Nick doesn't like girls like that,'_ came a guilty thought and a rising sense of unease, ' _She's his species as well. Wouldn't he naturally prefer to be with a vixen?"_

She glared at the piece of paper in her paws, demanding answers it would not give, then finally huffed in annoyance and folded it carefully away in her pocket for safekeeping. Truthfully, she was already considering springing the note on him while they were out and relaxing with some drinks, and had only brought it out to distract herself from her own impatience over how long he was taking with the Chief.

' _Come on, Judy. What is coming over you?'_ she thought, rubbing at her temples in annoyance. This wasn't helping at all. Nick was up there facing Bogo for goodness only knew what reason, and her mulling over ridiculous romantic notions and getting angry at an innocent mammal wouldn't solve anything.

This wasn't how she wanted to end the day, worrying needlessly over her partner while childishly trying to forecast his romantic preferences. She'd take care of figuring out that latter point soon enough. Once they went out for that drink, and maybe after a carrot colada or three, she'd ask him his preferences and then give him that vixen's phone number. And if he took it, then that would be that. And if he chose to toss that number in the trash and sweep her off her feet instead, then…

"Focus, Judy…" she grumbled, rallying her scattered thoughts to what was important. First things first. She would also need to speak with the Chief to give her own side of the report. Once Nick was done with his meeting, of course. It was odd that she'd been kicked out, but she rationalized (for what felt like the hundredth time) that Bogo must have a good reason for bringing Nick in first. Alone. She bit her lip and forced down another wave of worry.

Anyway, she would talk to Bogo and get done with him as quickly as she could. Once that business was out of the way she could worry about her love life, or inevitable lack of one. At the very least, she could use the vixen's number as a fall back to deflect any harm to her and Nick's friendship. That was the most important thing, after all. No matter what her deepest desires might be, Nick was her partner and her best friend, and she had to protect that bond first. She had to protect him, even if that meant protecting him from her….

"Hey, Fluff."

That gentle voice snapped her out of her depressing musings, and she stared up in surprise into a pair of tired, green eyes, an equally tired smile accompanying them and a slight slouch to the fox's posture as he leaned heavily on the edge of the desk.

"Nick!" she exclaimed hopping out of her chair to close the distance with him, halting in confusion as he held up a paw to ward her off.

"You look terrible! Is everything okay?"

"Oh yes, everything is hunky-dory," he said reticently, not meeting her eye. "Bogo is… quite the hustler, it seems."

"What?" she asked, tilting her head to accentuate her curiosity. The fox was trying to hide it, but was obviously very drained by whatever had passed between him and the Chief. "What happened up there?"

"Nothing. Everything's fine," he dodged, quickly adding, "Chief wants to speak to you next though."

"Oh?" that threw her off the trail briefly, "Okay, well that's good because I needed to speak to him too before we leave."

"He's all yours…" Nick said, lowering himself stiffly into his seat and leaning back to let the chair take his full weight before kicking his feet up onto the desk.

"Nick, are you sure you're okay?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern for the partner's unusually cavalier behavior. "What did the chief say to you? He didn't fire you on your first day did he?" She tried to make that last remark sound like a joke, but concern bled through in her voice.

"He told me what I needed to hear," he said cryptically, tucking his chin against his chest and popping his collar up around his chin as he leaned back precariously in his chair as if making to take a nap. He gave her a dismissive wave without once looking at her. "I'm fine, Fluff. Go, have your meeting."

"Alright…. Well, don't get too comfortable," came her reluctant reply as she compelled herself toward the stairs, stopping to turn and add, "I'll be right back!"

Nick gave her another little dismissive wave as she bounded off to the chief's office. The moment she was out of sight he seemed to deflate in the chair and ran his paws up over his face, sighing deeply. So much for one of the best days of his life. He felt crushed by exhaustion and the psychological battering he had just received from the chief.

He lowered one paw in front of his muzzle, feeling an odd sense of amusement at the way it trembled. He wasn't immediately sure what to do with himself, but he knew Judy would be back soon and he didn't want her to see him like this.

Taking a calming breath and clenching his paws until the shaking stopped, he made up his mind on his next course of action.

* * *

After seeing the state of her partner, Judy was in no mood for hesitation or petty intimidation tactics, so she barged straight into the Chief's office, causing the much larger mammal to give a start as he stashed a photo in his drawer and sat up straight at his desk trying not to look guilty.

"Chief, you called for me?" she asked impatiently, letting the door swing closed behind her.

"Hopps, take a seat," he grunted, clearing his throat and earning her immediate compliance. "As you have probably guessed, I called you in here to get your preliminary field training report-"

"Sir, before we begin," she interrupted, "I have to ask, what was with the aggressive display earlier? You haven't tried to run me out of your office like that since _I_ was a rookie."

"If I recall correctly, it didn't work back then," the buffalo deflected. "Why did it work now?"

"At that time I didn't believe you had a good enough reason to send me away."

"But you trust me now?"

"I trusted you then too, Sir," she returned, "It's simply that I disagreed with your reasons, and you know I'm not afraid to question your decisions if I feel they are incorrect."

"Indeed. That is why you are one of my most _irritating_ officers," Bogo grumbled, before begrudgingly adding, "And also why you are one of my most trusted, too."

"Then, if I may, Sir, what was the reason for wanting to speak to my partner alone?"

Bogo hesitated, an act that was quite unusual for the cape buffalo.

"You really don't know?" he asked cautiously.

"No, Sir."

The chief sat back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, ' _Of COURSE she doesn't know. She was the only recruit assigned to Precinct One with from her class, and we didn't have any recruits make the cut in the New Year, either.'_ Bogo felt a building sense of discomfort at this situation. He had never had to openly explain this particular practice to one of his officers before, and he wasn't about to start now.

"Think of it as a final stage interview," he answered vaguely, "There were some things I needed to know about our newest recruit before I could officially welcome him to the team."

He received a perplexed look from the bunny sat across the desk.

"With respect, Sir, I already told you everything worth knowing about Nick before you approved his application to the academy, including his hustling and how he'd left that life behind. I even told you about that popsicle incident." She confessed that last point ruefully.

"Judy, I trust your insight and your objectivity, which is why I did not hesitate to assign him as your partner when you requested it, however as Chief I still need to take the measure of my new officers and gauge their dedication myself."

"And he passed, of course," she stated.

"I never should have doubted you," he chuckled.

Judy allowed herself a small smile, but didn't ease off the pressure just yet. "He seemed a little… out of sorts afterwards, but dodged my questions about it. Did something else happen during your interview?"

Bogo schooled his face back into an unreadable expression. "The contents of that meeting are confidential, Hopps, and I must discourage you in the strongest possible terms from pressing your partner for the details. Trust me when I say he passed, and _let it go_."

Judy let the silence stretch between them as she considered those words. Bogo's patience was beginning to wear thin, but thankfully she decided not to push any further, relaxing in her chair and breaking into a wide smile.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that he passed and we can get on with the job!"

Bogo allowed himself to visibly relax as well, taking on a more casual, almost friendly attitude with the rabbit.

"So, the fox who helped you solve your first case has now become your partner, and you have helped him to solve his first case. We've come full circle, Judy."

Her smile brightened considerably at that thought. "So we have, Sir."

"Go ahead and give your field training report. Tell me honestly, how did your fox do?"

Judy felt a thrill run up her spine at Nick being called hers, but quickly suppressed it and started in on her report. Despite herself, her tone wavered back and forth between informative professionalism and happy, gushing bunny.

"I'm not sure it's fair to call it field training, Sir, as there wasn't much need for guidance on my part. Officer Wilde is a natural. Honestly I was more concerned that he might not be as energetic or enthusiastic on his first day, seeing as he transferred straight in from the academy. Even I took a week out to rest up at home with family before I officially started the job. However, I am happy to report that I was wrong there, too! He outperformed most of other partners I've had over the last few months, and I'm not just saying that because he is my best friend, he really did outshine himself in how he handled the traffic stop, the interview with Mr Slothmore, and in his general conduct throughout the day."

She willed herself to leave out the constant teasing she had to endure at the fox's paws, as well as the little incident after the traffic stop where she may have _bitten_ her partner's paw in reprisal.

"So I see," Bogo responded patiently, taking his glasses out and examining the report. "Let's talk a little more about this interview with... Flash Slothmore? Rather unorthodox to let your rookie partner lead on his first day…."

Judy blushed out of embarrassment. "Well, Nick is rather unorthodox. However, we have some history with that sloth."

"Oh? Explain."

"Well, you see that wasn't the first time we encountered Mr. Slothmore. As mentioned in the report, he aided on the Nighthowler case and that was part of why we showed him leniency today."

"Help me to understand what exactly prompted the decision to show leniency here? I'm sure I need not remind you that driving at high speed in the downtown area usually carries mandatory jail time…."

"It was Nick's insight, Sir. He recognized that not only had the mammal in question been instrumental in solving a previous case, but he was also acting extremely out of character. And I mean that as a racer, not as a sloth!"

Bogo didn't react to her little joke, giving her nothing except a gruff, "Continue."

"Ahem, well, those were the reasons that we showed leniency, and in exchange we were able to glean the real reason for his speeding, which had to do with him being ousted from the street racing circuits on speciesist grounds. That lead to the interview and to us officially establishing our current leads."

"So you had your partner lead the interview based on his insights?"

"Yes, and no. I mean, yes that was one of the reasons, but… the thing is, Sir, Mr. Slothmore may _drive_ like a speed demon, but he's soooo slow!" Judy let her frustration pour out in that last word, throwing her whole body forward and flopping her head on the desk dramatically.

"Yes, sloths can be challenging to deal with," the buffalo continued seriously. "Be glad you never had to bust an entire gang of them before."

Judy's head shot up and she stared at the chief with eyes wide in horror. The buffalo's lips cracked into an unnervingly wide smile.

"Just kidding," he grinned, allowing himself a few chuckles at the bunny's expense.

"Ha ha… well, if we ever DO have a sloth gang to deal with, Nick is your mammal!" she recovered, quickly turning the conversation in her partner's favor, "He's so patient, the complete opposite of me in that respect. Really, he was the ideal mammal to lead the interview. And just look at how much info he was able to get out of it!"

"Yes, I agree with your decision to have him lead in this instance, and despite the unorthodox approach, I would call that a very successful interview. Well done."

"Thank you, Sir!" she gushed happily.

"I expect you will be wanting to follow up on your leads Friday night at the docks?"

"I, for one, would like to. I believe it's one of Nick's off-days though so he may want to relax at home rather than come in to work a night shift. However," she grinned savagely and flexed an arm menacingly, "I'm sure I can _convince_ him to come along..."

Bogo chuckled at her display, not doubting that she could strongarm _any_ mammal into doing her bidding if she so willed.

"Good. I'll liaise with lieutenant Krumpanski on SWAT and put together an action plan over the next few days."

The mention of the SWAT team immediately piqued the her interest.

"Don't they still have that jewelry heist gang to finish rounding up in Tundra Town, Sir?"

"About that. I have reason to believe this Blair mammal your witness mentioned is linked to the gang that ran the heist, so we have some crossover here. You understand that means Krumpanski will most likely want to take over your investigation too?"

"He can have it, if I can have SWAT detail with him." She stated boldly.

Bogo laughed loudly, causing her hackles to rise.

"You don't think I can handle it, Sir?" she asked, deigning to sound as annoyed as she felt at his laugh.

"A year ago, if anyone had asked me if I would consider putting a bunny on SWAT, I would have laughed them out of this office, and then put them on parking duty the rest of the week."

"And now?" she demanded impatiently.

"Now I know better," he responded straightforwardly. "I will speak to Krumpanski about rotating you in."

That immediately had her bouncing in her seat. _Finally_ , she would have an opportunity to join one of the ZPD response teams responsible for taking down the most aggressive criminals in Zootopia. The Judy of a year ago would have been leaping to the ceiling and yelling, ' _Woohoo! I AM a real cop! I AM a real cop!'_ The Judy of today would at least wait until she was back at her desk with her partner, to share in….

"What about Nick?" she was asking the question before it had even fully formed in her mind. If she was on SWAT, where would he go?

"One small mammal at a time, Judy. Bear in mind, while I do have the authority to force the Lieutenant to accept officers, I respect how he handles his team selections. You will need to prove to him first that a bunny can handle the responsibility. If he approves, we'll see about lining your fox up for an assignment as well. Assuming he wants it?"

"To be honest, I think I'm just being greedy with his time," she confessed, her voice softening when she thought of all the time she had gotten to spend with Nick today. "If it was up to me, I'd keep Nick as my partner permanently, no matter the assignment…."

"You understand I will have to rotate him out eventually?"

"Yes, Sir. It's just, we make such a great team and the time flies when we're working together. Even that interview with Mr. Slothmore was bearable because I had Nick to back me up."

"I see," came the pensive reply from Bogo. He paused momentarily while collecting his thoughts. He had wanted to broach this next subject tactfully, and she had just given him the ideal opening for it.

"How would you describe your relationship with Officer Wilde?" he asked plainly, watching her reaction carefully.

She answered as plainly as she was asked.

"Well, he's my best friend, and we are very comfortable around each other. I think that's part of what makes us work so well together." Judy started to feel unnerved by the stare she was being fixed with. She hesitantly opened her next question, "Why do you ask, Sir?"

"I have noticed that you two seem to be awfully close." The buffalo kept her fixed with that unnerving stare.

"...is that a personal observation, or a professional one, Sir?" she asked cautiously, her nose twitching as her mind raced to gather her thoughts and steeling herself for what she knew had to come next.

"About that, Hopps-" he started, reaching for the photo, but was cut off by the surprisingly resolute voice of the mammal opposite.

"Actually, Sir, I'm glad you brought it up. If you will allow me, I wanted to make an official report, but wasn't sure how to open the subject."

Judy was sitting calmly, gazing intently at the buffalo. The look intrigued the chief, and he already suspected what her next words might be, so he withdrew his hoof from the drawer, leaving the photo where it was for now and giving her his undivided attention.

"Go on."

She took a short pause to steel herself for what she had to say, then inhaled deeply.

"I think I might be developing feelings for him," she uttered in one breath, quickly adding, "For Nick."

"Oh?" Bogo raised one eyebrow.

She was already starting to become flustered from the admission, but soldiered on anyway, "I know that's kinda strange… a bunny and a fox… and I don't know if he feels the same… heck, I'm not even sure how I really feel about it, but…."

"Get to the point, Hopps."

"Right." She took a slower breath to calm herself, before continuing in a more even, professional tone. "I am obliged to report there was a moment earlier today, around 1600 hours. We were outside the city center, on Acacia Street. I stopped Nick on the sidewalk to talk to him and we accidentally ended up in each other's arms. It was completely unintentional, but we both froze because it was unexpected. I guess we were like that for a few seconds, at least."

"Why are you volunteering this information, Hopps?"

"Because, it's possible that someone at the scene took a photo of us embracing," she confessed, holding her boss' questioning glare despite the colour rushing to her cheeks and ears. "I realize what a serious problem that might be for the ZPD if that image got out, and I just wanted to head it off and inform you that Nick wasn't to blame. I was the one who initiated physical contact and put us in that compromising position. If there are any consequences, I'm fully prepared to face them."

"I see. And you understand what sort of action might be taken against you if such an image were to become public?"

"I do, Sir. I would like to avoid being separated from my partner if possible, but I also appreciate that allowing ourselves to be seen in public like that is in direct violation of the ZPD's code of ethics. I just wanted to assure you that it wasn't intended, I was the one responsible, and…."

"Yes?"

"...I'm seeing Nick tonight to talk about it. Not like a date thing! I mean, I don't think it's a date but… I wanted to sit down with him and get our feelings straight, and make sure this sort of thing doesn't happen again. Not… not in uniform, at least."

"I see..." Bogo muttered, sitting back and contemplating what he had just been told. Truthfully, he did not care much for enforcing the fraternization policy, and provided his officers were discrete he would turn a blind eye, but there was one question he could not ignore.

"Judy, I need to know… Is this going to affect your ability to perform your job?"

"No, Sir," she answered resolutely, "Today is the only exception, and that is only because I just became aware of these feelings. You have my strongest assurances that I won't let it impact my work."

Bogo snorted in approval at her resolve.

"Well, in light of your volunteering these details and the assurances you have given me, I will take it under advisement and no action will be taken. Your assignment together is not currently in jeopardy."

She breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"But keep this in mind, Hopps. If it does become public knowledge, there will be a review, and I may be forced to reassign the pair of you. So sort it out, and keep it out of the workplace."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you for being so understanding," she said with a happy smile.

"I wouldn't be so quick to thank me, Judy… you know I-

"-don't care. I know, Sir. And I'm going to thank you anyway," she beamed at him.

Bogo gave another snort and sat far back in his chair, feeling somewhat abashed by her praise. Perhaps the still-fresh memory of chewing her partner out was weighing on his conscience, but now that they had each said their piece, he felt the need to get her out the door as quickly as possible.

"Was there anything else, Officer Hopps?"

"No, Sir, nothing important, at least."

"Good, then that will be all. Go on your little date with your fox. And no, I do not care if that's really what it is or not. And no, I do _not_ want the details. I trust you to handle yourselves like adults."

"Yes, Sir!" she squeaked, jumping up in her seat and saluting so fast she hit herself in the temple.

"I'm serious about that, Judy," he warned, staring her down intimidatingly again. "If I so much as hear a single rumor flying around this Precinct about the two of you, you can forget simply being reassigned to different patrols and SWAT. You'll both be on parking duty for the rest of the month. Separately."

"Understood, Sir!"

"Good. Dismissed."

With that she leaped down and quickly headed for the door. However, just as she touched the handle, he called out to her again.

"Oh, one last thing, Hopps."

"Sir?"

He delivered his next question like a joke.

"Do you know why cows wear bells?"

"Yup! It's because their horns don't work!" she grinned brightly and waited for him to laugh, only to be met with an unimpressed look. Then it dawned on her, ' _Sweet Cheese and Crackers, he saw the interview….'_

"Oh, believe me, Hopps, my horns work just fine," he threatened. "However…."

The buffalo retrieved his phone from his pocket. It was accompanied by a tinkling sound, and Judy could see a charm in the shape of a cow bell dangling from the wrist strap.

".. _.I_ wear it because it _behooves_ me to wear what my wife picks out for me."

"Haha! Good one sir!" she exclaimed in a panicky voice. That WAS meant to be a joke, right? She didn't just laugh at the gift his wife had gotten him, did she? She didn't even know he was married!

"Get out of my office," he snapped.

"Yes, Sir! Goodnight, Sir!" she squeaked, yanking the door open and dashing out.

"Goodnight, Judy," he chuckled after she was gone.

Once more alone in his office, an exhausted Bogo leaned back in his chair to contemplate the information had just received. He was intrigued to see that their feelings were mutual. Assuming no interference, it would only be a matter of time before they acknowledged those feelings. That then lead to the very real risk of their status becoming public. He knew his options would be limited in that eventuality, but a contingency plan was already beginning to form. He picked up his phone.

"Clawhauser. Get me Lydia from PR & Marketing. And a strong, black coffee, I will be working some overtime tonight."

Hanging up again, he retrieved the incriminating photo from his desk drawer again and subjected it to a further round of contemplation. Perhaps he could put all of that schmoozing over at city hall to a noble use after all….

* * *

Outside Bogo's office, Judy was fuming to herself as she thought about Nick's jokes being caught by the Chief.

"Sweet Cheese and Crackers, how much of that awful interview did he see?" she groaned while heading down the stairs, "Ugh, Nick, I am giving your ear an extra hard tweak when I find you, you dumb fox!"

Quickly making her way back to the office, she was surprised to discover that their desk was empty.

"Nick?" she called out, looking around but seeing most of the cubicles now vacant save for Skunkton's, who was in the process of shutting down his terminal and packing up to head home for the night.

"Oh, Judy, you're still here?" he asked, surprised to see her.

"Hey, Skunkton, I'm really sorry about earlier…"

"Oh, you mean your partner growling at me? Think nothing of it!" he said with a smile, "I think it's great to have such a protective partner. You know I'm kind of a big fan of yours after that whole savage fiasco."

"Thank you," she grumbled, once more thrown off by a 'fan'. Worse, she worked with this one.

"It actually makes me feel reassured to know you've got someone watching your back. Even if he is a-"

"That sentence better not end with the word fox," she growled, matching the menace of Nick's earlier snarl. It was more than enough to startle the skunk into cowering away from the bunny. Fortunately, civilized skunks had long learned to keep their glands "evacuated" or else the poor mephitid might have sprayed himself in fright.

Quickly recovering from his scare, Skunkton began simpering, "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. That was really inappropriate and insensitive of me, wasn't it? Please forget I said that. Old views die hard, you know?"

Judy rumbled in annoyance and the striped skunk once more fell silent. "I'll ignore it this once, Skunkton, and we'll forget about my comment and my partner's growling too."

"Sure thing, Officer Hopps. All forgiven and forgotten!"

Judy sighed and stared back at her desk, hoping the fox might just reappear.

"Anyway, have you seen Nick?" she finally asked the skunk.

"Oh, yeah, he left a while ago," Skunkton replied casually, gathering up the rest of his things.

"What?" came her shocked response.

"Yeah, he looked really tired. Think he said he was heading home to rest. Why, did you two have plans or something?"

"...I guess not," she muttered, crestfallen by the realization Nick had left without her.

"Alright, well, see you tomorrow, Hopps!" With that, the black and white furred mammal waddled out the door, headed home for the night. As, Nick, apparently had also done. Though perhaps with slightly less waddling.

Judy sat down at her desk, feelings of confusion and disappointment filling her head. Why hadn't he waited for her? They had planned to go out together and he'd even promised her one drink, and Nick _never_ broke his promises to her. That last thought incensed her.

"It's not like him to go back on a promise," she mumbled to herself, opening her phone, "Something's gotta be up."

She flicked to the messaging app and pulled up Nick's contact. The last message she'd sent him was this morning offering to buy him a Snarlbucks coffee before their shift started. As if by magic, he had sauntered around the corner and responded in person - in hindsight, without his coffee, he really did move with more of waddle. Or maybe a shamble? Like a coffee-powered, zombie fox.

' _Focus, Judy. Message him. Maybe he'll make another miraculous appearance…'_

Her digits worked quickly, typing up a new message, going through several versions before settling on one that satisfied her.

 **Judy Hopps:** ' _Hey, Slick, what gives? Why'd you leave me at the precinct? We're still on for drinks tonight, right?_

She hit send and waited several seconds, hoping that he might just walk around the corner again, but her fox failed to materialize. ' _I guess it was too much to expect it to happen twice in one day,'_ she thought sadly. At least the message had confirmed as received on his end, so his phone must still be working, but it hadn't been read yet.

Remembering that she still had a change of clothes in her locker at the precinct, she decided to go and get changed into her civvies while waiting for his response. There were a few other female officers in the locker room between their shifts and either changing into or out or uniform, or heading into the showers. Currently none of the officers she was close with were present to accost her - she was thankful for that small blessing.

She quickly changed into the clothes she had picked out for tonight; a plain, pink, v-necked tee that fell loosely around her hips and bunched at the base of her tail, and a simple pair of black leggings. She didn't really have anything in the way of fancy clothing. In fact, her entire wardrobe currently only consisted of a handful of plaid shirts, blue jeans, a small selection of t-shirts, and the black leggings she was currently wearing. This was about as presentable as she could make herself without buying new clothes. Not that she had planned this night out -that- far in advance, but she had hoped Nick would agree to go out. She hadn't expected him to back out at the last second though.

That thought sent a fresh wave of anxiety through her and she quickly checked the phone again, cursing as she realized she'd left it on silent, and feeling her heart leap as she saw a new message from Nick.

 **Nick Wilde:** ' _Sorry, not feeling well. Decided to head home and rest. See you tomorrow.'_

The change in his tone was startling and her worry was building beyond control.

"No Carrots? No Fluff? No teasing or joking?" she grumbled to herself, for once missing the irritating pet names he insisted on calling her, "Something's REALLY wrong, and I'm going to find out what…."

She hit the call button next to his name and lifted the device to one ear, waiting for the dial tone to start ringing.

"Come on, Nick, pick up…" she mumbled, leaning against her locker and absently playing with her free ear.

The phone picked up immediately.

" _Yello', Nick speaking."_

"Oh, thank goodness, Nick! I was beginning to wor-"

" _...Just kidding, you've reached my voicemail! Betcha thought it was really me, huh? Leave your message after the beep. BEEP. ...wait a minute, that wasn't the real beep! You better not have fallen for that…."_

"Just how dumb does he think I am?"

" _...only as dumb as a bunny."_

"Nick!? Are you messing with me right n-"

" _Okay, here it comes for real this time!"_

*beep*

"Ugh, I really am a dumb bunny..." she muttered, realizing too late that it had already gone to voicemail. "CRAP! Don't record that! Argh, whatever! Nick, where _are_ you? Call me back when you get this. Oh, and you are SO going to pay for that voicemail message. Just remember what I did to your popsicle. Wait, that sounds bad. I mean the bite! I'm gonna… Ooh, nevermind, you awful fox!"

She closed the call and huffed angrily at her phone. ' _Did I seriously just get hustled by a recording of that sly fox?'_ Doubt crept into her mind, and so she called again and just listened. Sure enough, the exact same message played out. She let it beep to voicemail again and added one final message.

"You suck."

She closed the phone again and sat down on a bench to cool her head and figure out her next move.

"If his voicemail is on then either his phone just died or he turned it on manually after messaging me," she pondered out loud. "I know his phone was still charged before he went in to see the chief, so he must have turned on voicemail himself to avoid calls. But why would he do that?"

She stood up and paced, tapping her foot as she tried to piece it together.

"Something must have gone wrong when he spoke to the chief," she decided. "I have to make sure he's okay, but how? Skunkton said he was going home, but I don't know where he lives…."

On a whim, she checked her phone, but his address wasn't listed under his contact details.

"Drat. Maybe Clawhauser can pull his address from the officer registry? But if I ask that gossip queen for Nick's home address I'll never hear the end of it…."

She knew Ben would interpret asking for Nick's address to be a sign that the two were planning to get romantic, and she did not want to risk parking duty for a month if it got back to the chief that she was making house calls on her partner from day one.

She pondered her other options, but quickly realized she had none. It was either trust the cheetah, or go home and wait to see Nick tomorrow morning. And she'd rather risk parking duty for the rest of the _year_ than leave her partner when he needed her.

"Please don't make me regret this, dumb fox," she grumbled as she headed out into the lobby. She just hoped the dispatcher hadn't already left for the day.

Despite her apprehension, she was oddly relieved to find Ben still at his post on the front desk, looking tired and intermittently absorbed in the same app game from the morning.

"Hey Ben, you're still here!"

"Yuh-huh. Nightshift is late today so I get another joyous half hour of desk duty to fill with digital donut eating!"

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I kinda need your help…."

"What's the matter, honey bun?"

"I'm worried about Nick. He went home without saying anything, then he left me a really strange text and now he's turned off his phone. I want to swing by his place and make sure he's okay, but I don't have his address…."

"Oooh-"

"Clawhauser, PLEASE. Whatever you're thinking, it isn't that. I think something's really wrong with Nick and I have to go make sure he's okay. And please keep this to yourself. If it gets to the chief that I'm visiting Nick at home - and not for that purpose, I swear - we'll be on parking duty for a month…."

"Oh Judy, do you truly think so little of me?" he sniffled melodramatically.

"You run betting pools against everyone in the precinct," she retorted sardonically.

"Well, yeah, but it's all purely confidential. Just like how we won't tell HR about-" he stifled his mouth with both paws, earning a quizzical look from Judy.

"About what?" she pressed.

"...don't be mad?"

"Ben. What did you do?" she growled.

"I may have started a teensy pool on when you and Nick would get together..."

"Please tell me you're joking."

"Oh, come on, you two have been making goo-goo eyes at each-other since you walked in together this morning!"

She forced herself to breathe calmly rather than lose her temper at the cheetah. She needed his help, and exploding on him could ruin her chances of getting the info she needed.

"Look, _maybe_ I might have given him a look here and there, but that doesn't mean anything. He's a good-looking mammal! You said so yourself. Besides, I'm pretty sure Nick wasn't making _goo-goo eyes_ at me!"

"Judy, that boy could barely take his eyes off you," Ben responded smugly. "The whole time you were signing in he was just watching you with that smirky face of his. It would be a bit creepy, if you hadn't been doing exactly the same thing to him while HE was signing in…."

A memory of that morning rose up unbidden, confirming what she was being told. She really had been staring at him like that. She felt the color rising to her cheeks.

"...please don't tell everyone I like him," she grumbled into her chest, staring at her feet.

"Aww, honeybun. How could I refuse that request? It's just so c-"

"Clawhauser," she warned, folding her arms crossly.

"Oh, let me have this once, pleeease?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Fine."

"It's just so CUTE!" he exclaimed, smooshing his cheeks.

"And your cute pass has expired."

"Worth it."

"Now please help me, Ben," she pleaded, "You're my only hope."

"Ooh, was that a Star Boars reference?"

"What? No, I haven't even seen that movie."

He gasped at her in shock. "Whaaaat!?"

"Ben, focus, please!"

"Oh, fine…" he grumbled, turning to his computer and browsing through the file system before writing down some information on a small yellow post-it.

"Alright, according to the system, he lives at _1955 Cypress Grove Lane_. One sec, let me check Zoogle for directions… Okay, just take the Inner Loop from Central Station to Rainbow Falls, then head north across the river. It's the building that looks like a giant sequoia tree, you can't miss it."

She leaped across the desk and snatched the post-it with the address out of his paw.

"Thank you so much, Ben. I owe you one!" she called out behind her, already dashing out the door in a grey blur, headed for Savanna Central station.

Clawhauser glanced at Nick's file on his computer and rubbed his neck thoughtfully. He had a pretty good idea why the fox might have cut out a few minutes early, and he spared a rueful glance up at Bogo's office door.

"Gee, I hope the chief didn't scare off another one," he sighed, returning to his phone and re-opening the app game, hoping for the remainder of his shift to pass quickly.

* * *

 _ **A/N: End of fluff**_

 _ **This chapter did not have enough fox. Or fluff. Next week will be foxier, and a fair bit fluffier. It won't be bunnier though; there will be in a roughly equivalent amount of bun. Also adding in some raccoon, just for flavor. Speaking of flavor, I am running low on chocolate. Send supplies!**_

 _ **Please do leave a review and a follow so I can pester you for chocolate in PMs, and alert you with the next update. Do let me know what direction you would like to see this story go in, your feedback is greatly appreciated.**_

 _ **Not much else to say here. So see you next Friday! :)**_

 _ **...unless you wanna talk about skunk butts?**_

 _ **Sure, let's talk about skunk butts!**_

 _ **FUN FACT: Today, on Fun Facts, we're talking about skunk butts. No not the rugs made from the butts of the skunks - the actual butts under the soon-to-be rugs!**_

 _ **So a lot of fics handwave Zootopian skunk spray by having the skunks surgically remove the offending glands at an early age. However, according to SCIENCE, it can take up to 10 days for a skunk's glands to "reload" once they are fully discharged, so with that in mind, I figure that simply having them "evacuate their glands" periodically via (government-approved) sanitary means would be a less invasive way of handling this biological feature.**_

 _ **Basically, they just need to go to the bathroom once a day and can live a perfectly normal life! I don't envy the janitor who has to scrub that bowl though. But then, I can raise you one better with two words: elephant latrine.**_

 _ **Vulpes, once again over-thinking the science behind a throwaway line! (poor Skunkton. You mustn't diss the fox!)**_


	8. Chapter 8: Catching Your Prey

_**This chapter is brought to you by several bars of 70% cocoa dark chocolate of the Lindt variety, and more cups of tea than I care to count.**_

 _ **Speaking of dark things… did you think we were done picking on Nick? (Nick-picking as it shall henceforth be known?)**_

 _ **No. No we are not.**_

 _ **Incoming fluff!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Catching Your Prey**

Nick's journey back to his apartment passed in a blur. He rode the Inner Line back to Rainbow Falls and made the short walk up to his apartment building in a trance, his face never once faltering from its default smirk.

That smirk, his mask, was the product of two decades of maintaining his distance from anyone and everyone to keep them from seeing the real him; the him that hurt under the constant discrimination and rejection, and which carried the unspoken shame of embracing the stereotypes expected of him. That mask succeeded in keeping the vast majority of Zootopia's mammals from seeing when they got to him, and even Judy with her disarming sincerity had trouble piercing his walls even now.

That mask had been utterly useless in front of Bogo. The water buffalo had mercilessly torn his defenses to shreds, forced him to lay bare his real, fragile self, and gotten the fox to speak from his heart. All in the name of measuring his dedication. In a way, Nick admired how effectively he had been so completely out-hustled, but for the most part he loathed being made so vulnerable, and so by extension he felt considerable loathing for the Chief now too.

But whatever. He had survived that encounter with some shred of his psyche, and more importantly his career, intact. In the past his sense of self-preservation would have won out between the two, but that was before Judy had come into his life. The thought of his partner kept him going through the worst of it, and he would sooner let himself be destroyed than willingly let her down. That said, a part of him did feel guilty for reneging on his promise to go out with her tonight, but he was sure she would understand that he really did need rest, even if he had not explained why. And nor would he, if he could avoid the subject.

He had timed his arrival home really well; currently the lobby of Sequoia Towers was deserted, save for the lone mongoose security guard, who appeared to be asleep at the reception desk. Nick crossed the dilapidated atrium of the old apartment building with a stealthy step, carefully avoiding the puddles of damp that accumulated in the dips in the flooring. He saw the vague shapes of mammals moving behind the glass fronts of the small cabal of shops that ran along the inside wall of the lobby. Thankfully no-one within seemed to notice his arrival.

The security guard, a male mongoose named Philip, was the only mammal in his path, however he was dozing heavily at his post and so missed the uniformed fox's approach - another small mercy. Philip's dream was to join the ZPD, however he was rather lazy and inconsistent with his training, and had flunked out of the academy once already. His application for a second attempt was still pending. If he saw Nick in uniform now… well, the fox didn't want to deal with THAT drama just yet. He had enough of his own to deal with today.

Slipping around the sleeping guard, Nick made his way to the pair of elevators at the north side of the lobby, counting one more karmic point in his favor as the doors immediately opened on the right-side elevator, which was the good one. It was the "good one" in that it was the elevator that _didn't_ shudder like it was going to take an express trip to the basement at any moment. He stepped in, hit the button for the fifth floor, then collapsed against the railing as the doors ground shut and he began his ascent. There had been many days where he had come home exhausted from a long day of hustling, but never like this.

"Just twenty-two steps to the door… three steps to the bed…." he breathed, leaning his head against the wood-paneled wall next to the control panel. It was an old habit to count his steps wherever he went, and when he had a long distance to travel it often helped to make the journey more bearable.

His skull reverberated with the mechanical vibration of the elevator, helping to dull the painful ache between his eyes and the echoes of Bogo's words in his head. He relaxed a little too much though and let his senses start to slip away. His body began to follow suit, tilting backwards and forcing him to grasp the railing in sudden blind terror to keep from passing out and toppling over right there from fatigue. The sensation of nearly collapsing got his pulse and adrenaline racing again, so at the very least he felt energized enough to make the short walk to his door when the elevator dinged and opened on his floor.

The corridor was narrow and reeked of damp, cigarettes and the musk of several other mammals, but it was comparatively dry next to the lobby and the floors below. The path curved around in a complete circuit just inside the circumference of tree-shaped building, with all the apartments situated on the outside, and a balcony dividing the corridor from the wide, empty space of the central atrium which stretched up all the way to the roof. Overhead lights provided just enough illumination for diurnal mammals to pick their way along the floor, while being dim enough to not hurt the sensitive eyes of a nocturnal such as himself. Despite that, the faint light and the buzz of electric bulbs still managed to bore into his skull and increase the ache he felt. He needed to get to his apartment, quickly.

 _'Just twenty-two steps...'_

He turned left and made his way along the corridor, mentally counting down the steps to his door.

' _Twenty-one... twenty… nineteen… eighteen….'_

He passed by the apartment closest to the elevator, number fifty-one. An elderly badger couple lived there, Albert and Jennifer Stripeson. They had three grown children who rarely kept in touch. They were polite neighbors, non-judgmental and kept to themselves. He kept moving.

' _Seventeen… fifteen... fourteen... thirteen….'_

Fifty-three was next, the west side of the building having all the odd-numbered residences. This one housed Marcus Manely, a young lion who worked as a furdresser and shearer in the Meadowlands. He had a pronounced dislike of foxes, a prejudice which hadn't lessened during or even after the savage crisis, so Nick steered clear of him as much as possible.

' _Twelve… eleven…. ten… nine…. eight…. six….'_

He hadn't realized he was leaning against the right wall as he walked until it gave way to the even narrower corridor between his apartment and Manely's, throwing him off balance and giving him a start. The little side-corridor lead directly to the fire escape that ran down the western side of the building. He grumbled in annoyance as he regained his balance and gave a final, halfhearted burst of speed, now that his door was in sight.

' _Five four three two one...'_

 _THUMP._

Sagging heavily against the cheap wooden door, Nick pressed his key into the lock and tried to give it a turn, only to feel the tumbler jam for possibly the thousandth time since he had moved in. The damp in this accursed building caused the wood of the doors and frames to expand and warp. He wasn't the only resident suffering this issue, but most had resigned to it being a fact of life in Sequoia Towers. He patiently tried reinserting the key seven times, jiggling the lock while twisting and jerking the key four times, shaking the entire door twice, and had finally resorted to simply banging his head repeatedly against the wood in frustration.

' _Great, just great. The only way this day could get any worse now is-'_

"Hey there, neighbor," came a sultry voice to Nick's left, from the next apartment over.

' _...and, it just got worse.'_

He grimaced at his traitorous door, forced his muzzle into a smile and turned to face the female raccoon hanging out of the adjacent apartment.

"Hi, Connie," he said, trying to dredge up any remaining scrap of faux enthusiasm from his already spent psyche.

Connie had been Nick's neighbor ever since she moved into the place next to his a year ago, and she had taken an immediate interest in the fox. It was the kind of interest that apparently required her to open her door to him at all times of the day while wearing as few items of clothing as possible, presumably in the hopes of someday luring him into her apartment. So far her tactics had been unsuccessful, but she evidently remained undeterred. Today she was wrapped in only a towel, and Nick could smell the fresh shampoo wafting down the corridor from her still-damp fur.

"Did you just get in from a costume party?" she asked, concealing her muzzle behind a delicate paw as she gave a little laugh. It took Nick a moment to realize she was referring to his police uniform.

"Something like that," he replied dryly.

"Aw, and you didn't invite me?" she pouted, swinging her tail into the hallway as she stepped out, flashing a little hip, which he pointedly ignored.

"Didn't take you for the type to want to dress UP," he quipped, nodding at her current attire, or lack thereof. She giggled and ran a paw down her side, tracing the edge of her towel and plucking at it dangerously.

"I guess not!" she smiled, "Still, must have been some party. You look rough. Well, rougher than usual." Again that musical little giggle. He wondered how well that worked on other males. Or if she ever tried with other males. He had never seen her pay attention to anyone other than him.

"Yeah, it was… pretty brutal," he admitted, his eyes going vacant as he tried not to reflect back on the verbal beat-down Bogo had given him.

"Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?" she intimated, leaning further out on her door frame and blinking at him slowly. She often dropped suggestive lines like that, and he always ignored them, but...

For a brief moment Nick stared at the raccoon curiously, as if for the first time really noticing the particular shade of her grey fur, and the deep shade of blue of her eyes, so dark they seemed almost purplish under the dim lights. Something in the way he looked at her seemed to unnerve the raccoon and she self-consciously retreated a little ways into her apartment, unused to him actually responding to her flirting.

"Nick?" her voice wavered in apprehension.

He blinked and forced his gaze to the floor, realizing the less-than-innocent look he was giving her and feeling a pang of shame. That look wasn't even meant for _her_ , just the mammal with whom she shared one or two characteristics. It was a testament to how frayed his senses were that even the slightest reminder of Judy was setting him off. He needed to get away from her. From this. From everything.

"Sorry, Connie. It's been a really rough day. I'm gonna hit the hay, just as soon as this darned door lets me in."

"Oh, sure. Sorry for bothering you…." she breathed, her voice full of hurt as she slipped back into her apartment and shut and locked the door behind her in a hurry.

' _Great, add one more innocent mammal to my list of victims for the day,' h_ e thought bitterly, thumping his head against his door one more time. Fortunately that last impact did it, the lock jiggled into just the right alignment, and the already torqued key swiveled smoothly across the tumblers and unlocked the door.

"Hallelujah…." he breathed, admitting himself into the tiny, two-room rental. Across the small floor space stood a heavily-curtained window, and just to the right of that was his bed in the corner, with a free-standing clothing rack at the foot holding every item of clothing he owned, including his spare uniform. To his left sat a desk and small stool, where he used to sit and plan out his hustles, and a door on the opposite side lead to a cramped en-suite bathroom.

He turned to close and secure the door, keeping the key turned in the lock to ensure he could quickly reopen it if needed, then made straight for the bed, barely remembering to toss his personal effects onto the desk as he stepped past it, not bothering to count those final few steps, nor even bothering to remove his uniform before collapsing onto the cheap mattress. He curled up with his thin blanket, wrapped his tail around his legs and just lay there with his eyes squeezed tightly shut against the overwhelming sense of self-pity and exhaustion weighing down on him, desperately willing sleep to just take him and bring this torturous day to end.

He spent the next thirty minutes staring at the cracks in his ceiling, sleep completely evading him.

* * *

Judy took one more look at the little yellow post-it in her paw, then up again at the tall, tree-shaped structure of Sequoia Towers, standing out imposingly against the orange glow of the streetlights below and the glimmer of the moon through the faux overhead foliage that decorated the building's roof. The apartment block looked to be at least one-hundred-and-fifty feet tall and split into fourteen or fifteen floors, judging by the number of oval-shaped windows running up the exterior.

From a distance, if she ignored all the windows and the poorly-concealed fire escapes on the east and west sides, it really did look like a towering sequoia. Up close though, Judy could see the cracked concrete and flaking brown paint that provided the illusion of a natural structure from afar. The building was dilapidated and probably one safety inspection away from being condemned and cleared out. Then again, so was the Grand Pangolin Arms, where she stayed.

Her nerves were on edge as she pressed forward into the main lobby of the building, partly from the forbidding exterior, but also because it was her first time visiting Nick's apartment. He wasn't expecting her to drop by, and she had no idea what to expect when she got up there either. She just knew she needed to see him and make sure he was alright. She wasn't even certain he was here.

She was struck by how humid the building's interior was, though she couldn't help but marvel at the central atrium which extended all the way up to a glass ceiling at the top, permitting light to filter down to the balconies that ran around the inside edge of the-

 _SPLASH._

A sensation of cold wetness sunk into the fur and clothing of her right leg as she stepped into a large puddle on the floor. She grumbled angrily and shook her leg vigorously, taking the time now to glance around the ground floor. The interior had several glass fronts along the walls, possibly shops, and the whole space was dimly lit, meaning her bunny eyes hadn't caught the reflections that riddled the uneven flooring, betraying varying sized puddles of water. This building really was a mess. Why would Nick choose to live in a place like this?

"You okay there, little bunny?" called a gruff but friendly voice off to her right.

Sat on a too-small stool outside a glass-windowed storefront was a large grizzly bear in a red Pawaiian shirt, patterned in a similar style to Nick's. This mammal was bulky even by grizzly standards. She had heard that some bears still packed on extra weight every winter, but this fellow had taken it to the extreme. It was a wonder that small stool he sat on was able to bear the grizzly's weight.

"Yes, Sir, I'm fine, but is it normal for the floor to be so wet here?"

"Yeah. Chuck - that's the manager - says it's to make a swampy environment for mammals what like that sorta thing. Upper floors are a bit dryer though, if you're thinking of renting."

"Oh no, I'm not. _Definitely_ not. I'm just visiting a friend," she explained while approached the bear, "Maybe you know him, Mr…?"

"Oslo. I run the thrift shop here," he pointed a claw at the store front behind him.

Judy looked above Oslo's head to see a faded sign reading " _Shredded Threads"_ and bit her tongue from suggesting that those Pawaiian shirts ought to be first threads to be shredded. She took a more detailed look around and noticed that Oslo's wasn't the only store here. Behind her, on the opposite side of the lobby, she identified a launderette and what looked like a convenience store too. Further to the back were doors leading to the manager's office, and to a maintenance room too. She turned back to the friendly ursine.

"Well, I'm Judy. Nice to meet you, Oslo! And the mammal i'm looking for is called Nick. He's a red fox."

"You mean Nick Wilde? yeah, I know him. Everyone around here does. Who do you think set him up with those sweet shirts?" the bear asked proudly, plucking at his own Pawaiian attire.

Judy gave a nervous laugh, willing herself not to openly pass judgement on the atrocious fashion sense of both bear and fox.

"Did you see him come through here a little earlier?"

"Not sure. We got a few foxes living here that come and go through the day. Last one I saw went up wearing a blue uniform, maybe thirty minutes ago?"

"That's gotta be him! Thanks!"

"Elevators are over there," Oslo pointed out helpfully. "Mind your step! Don't want you falling into any more puddles!"

"I won't. Thanks, Mr. Oslo!"

"Just call me Oz!" he yelled after her as she sped toward the elevator, easily leaping over several small puddles on the way. As he watched her dash out of sight, a thought occurred to him. "Oh, honeycombs, shoulda warned her about the elevators. Huh. Oh well, fifty-fifty she gets the good un'…"

The bear shifted his bulk forwards onto his stubby legs, the stool protesting with a loud creak as he vacated it, and waddled his way back into his shop.

Judy, meanwhile, had reached the elevators, which were hidden behind a large pillar on the north side of the atrium. She hit the call button, and started thumping her foot on the floor impatiently as she waited for one of the doors to open. Now that she knew for certain Nick was here, she felt a renewed sense of urgency to see that he was alright.

A ding sounded, and it was the left-side elevator that opened up for her. Judy was through the door before it had finished opening and was already mashing the buttons for _fifth floor_ and _door close_ repeatedly.

"Come on, come on…."

The doors creaked uncertainly, then slowly began to shut again, only to stop half-way, then shudder open again.

"What? No, come on!" she growled.

Another bout of vigorous button mashing and this time the doors reluctantly closed, and the elevator violently shuddered to life. Judy felt herself thrown to one side as the compartment began to ascend. It made it two floors before shuddering violently again, sending the bunny into flight mode as she clung to the railing in terror, her ears upright and her heart racing.

The elevator had picked up a rhythmic bounce as it continued to ascend through the remaining floors, and she was glad that it was a solid compartment with no glass because she did NOT want to see how high up she was right now as it continued to loudly shake and groan like a dying beast.

It finally screeched to a halt on the fifth floor and the bunny scarpered out the door on all fours like a wild animal, terrified the thing's cables would snap at any second and send it falling straight back down to the ground floor. It didn't, the doors merely shuddered closed again, but she was livid at the state of the utility.

"I am so having words with the manager of this building when I'm done here!" she scowled, getting back up on two feet and dusting herself off.

Her heart was still thumping steadily as she made her way along the corridor, passing two doors and a fire escape before reaching apartment number fifty-five. She double-checked the address scribbled on the post-it by Clawhauser, but her nose told her this was the right door - it wasn't very strong, but she could pick up the scent of her partner. Her cheeks warmed happily at the knowledge that she had grown familiar enough with Nick to recognize him by scent alone, but she quickly pushed that thought down again as she had more important things to take care of right now.

She took a slow breath, and then knocked quietly three times. Her paw was shaking. No response. She knocked again, three times, louder this time. Again, no response. She pressed one large ear to the door and listened carefully. She thought she could hear the faint sound of breathing from within.

"Nick?" she called through the crack of the door. She heard a sudden shuffling of fabric, confirming that someone was inside.

"Nick, you there?"

A long pause. She was about to call out again when, from somewhere on the opposite side of the door, she heard his muffled voice. " _Carrots… What are you doing here?"_ He sounded exasperated and beyond tired.

"I just came over to check on you," she answered, pressing herself to the door, partially relieved to hear his voice, but even more desperate to see him now that she knew he was so close. Her voice betrayed the depth of her concern. "I was worried about you…."

Silence stretched again. Her lower lip had taken up the quivering that had previously possessed her paws.

" _I'm fine. So you can go…."_

"You don't sound fine," she appealed, "Nick, please open the door. I just want to see you."

" _Leave me alone, Fluff, please… I don't want you here right now."_

"Nick…."

There was no further response from the other side. She stepped back from the door and bit her lip to quell its quivering, her heart heavy with uncertainty. She couldn't force him to open the door if he didn't want to let her in, and it hurt that he didn't want to see her, but she drew a small measure of comfort from hearing his voice. He was home and resting. That meant he was okay, right?

Reluctantly, she turned her feet toward the elevator, pausing just long enough to call one last time through the door. "Alright, Nick. I'll see you tomorrow…."

She dragged her feet as she backtracked a few steps along the corridor, slowly resolving to head home and rest up herself, but came to a stop in front of the side-corridor leading to the fire escape.

A thought occurred to her.

She turned down the narrow escape route and checked the fire door. Not alarmed, and opened from the inside only. She could get down to the street this way, avoiding the elevator and maybe sneaking a peek in through Nick's window to check on him? Maybe she was just being unreasonably nosy and selfish, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was doing far worse than he was letting on. She had to be sure.

Nodding to herself as she set her determination, she pushed the bar on the door and stepped out into the cool night air.

The walkway of the fire escape was a simple steel construction that zigzagged down the side of the building, and was wide enough for most medium-sized mammals to comfortably navigate. Judy walked around the side as far as it went, and cursed when she saw that Nick's window was a little further along the wall, just out of reach, and with a five-story drop directly below it. She peered over at the window as best as she could, but couldn't see inside at this angle, and the only way she could was if she got closer, and the only way she could do that….

...Judy measured the distance between where she stood and the window sill to Nick's apartment. It wasn't _too_ far from the fire escape. Just a small hop. And the outside sill was wide enough to easily accommodate a small mammal like her. She'd done far riskier transitions in basic training, albeit not while halfway up a tree-shaped skyscraper though. All she would have to do was mount the rail, hop over to the sill, peek through the window to see that he was okay, then hop back and be on her way!

A voice in the back of her head was screaming at her that this was a stupidly risky plan. She'd already established Nick was safely home and he'd even told her himself that he was okay, so why was she even doing this? But she was already climbing up onto the railing and judging the distance one last time.

It _would_ be an easy movement. The sill looked dry and strong enough to hold her weight, she had a good angle to make the landing, and she could balance herself easily against the sides once there. The hardest part would be ignoring the height, but she was already practiced at keeping her eyes straight ahead in precarious situations thanks to her academy training.

Not allowing herself another moment for doubt to creep in, she thrust her body forwards into empty space…

...and made the landing on the sill with a soft thump, steadying herself on either side of the window with both paws.

' _Easy.'_

Now that she was up close, she could see that a heavy set of curtains had been drawn across the window on the inside, making it impossible to see in from a distance. However, the curtains were not a perfect fit, and there was just enough of a sliver of space for her to peek through into the apartment. She pressed her face to the glass and could see the door with the key turned in the lock. She tracked left and identified a standing rack of clothing with a selection of Pawaiian shirts, trousers, and a spare ZPD uniform. Her eyes went further still to the bed, the covers scrunched together like a mammal had been laying there recently, but was currently unoccupied.

"Where are you, Slick?" she whispered, a pang of guilt hitting her as it dawned on her just how much of an invasion of his privacy this was.

Suddenly her vision was obscured as the curtains shifted and were flung apart. A startled looking fox, still in ZPD uniform, stared up at her incomprehensibly from the opposite side of the glass. His face was almost unrecognizable, so worn and tired and with eyes filled with immeasurable sadness (and no small measure of surprise at the sight of her) that it added at least a decade to his features.

"Judy?" he asked, voice muffled through the glass, not fully accepting the reality of the bunny stood on his windowsill, halfway up the side of his building.

"Nick, I… I can explain…" she started, wide-eyed and pulling away from the window reflexively. She didn't get a chance to give that explanation as her right foot, still damp from earlier, tried to find purchase on the edge of the sill, and instead slipped, sending her teetering backwards.

She felt her lungs fill with air as she gasped in surprise from the sensation of gravity pulling her back, away from the window and away from Nick. She grasped for the sides of the windowsill, but they were already out of her reach. The realization hit her that she was starting to fall, she couldn't do anything to stop it, and there was nothing but open air between where she was and where she was about to land on the concrete sidewalk five stories below.

She was falling. And she wasn't going to survive.

She closed her eyes and steeled herself for the inevitable, determined not spend her last few seconds of life screaming in panic. She couldn't let that be the last thing he saw of her. She couldn't-

She felt a crushing pressure on her ribs and her eyes shot open with the pain to see red fur and bright green eyes staring wildly at her. Two russet arms that had flung open the window and shot out to snatch her under her arms as she started to topple backwards. Nick had practically thrown himself out the window to catch her, dangling precariously from the open window, and now yanked her bodily inside the apartment with a terrified gasp.

The two mammals tumbled onto the hard wooden floor, the fox desperately clutching the bunny to his chest, arms wrapped tightly around her, afraid to let go.

"You dumb... dumb... _dumb_ bunny. What were you thinking? I asked you… told you to just leave me be! Why did you do something so foolish!? if I hadn't caught you…." his voice kept catching in this throat and his eyes were glistening as he squeezed her tightly.

"But you did catch me," she mumbled softly, trembling in fright and nestling her head under his chin, her own thoughts a complete jumble now that she was inside and safely wrapped in his arms. She knew she should be freaking out more at her close call, but all she could think right now was that he had saved her.

"You crazy rabbit! You could have died!" he snarled, huffing loudly as the adrenaline surging through his veins gave way to panic.

"I needed to make sure you were alright, Nick. When you refused to open your door... I couldn't just leave," she whispered, steeling herself to lean back and look him in the eye. "I'm sorry."

Her words completely diffused his panic and his anger, leaving him feeling numb and confused. He no longer knew where today sat on the spectrum of good and bad anymore. As he sat there, holding Judy in his arms and looking into her eyes, he couldn't even figure out what it was she had to be sorry about. He was just glad she was safe.

And she couldn't be here. Not right now. Not when he was like this.

"You were just looking out for me," he conceded, looking toward the door and trying his best to smirk, "And as you can see, I'm fine. So, you can go home now…."

"Nick… you promised you'd never lie to me," she replied, reaching up and taking both his cheeks in her paws to turn his face back towards her.

His smirk faltered and fell into a world-weary expression, no energy left to keep up the facade. "Okay… I'm NOT fine, but you still can't be here, so please-"

"I'm not going anywhere until I know you're okay, so please talk to me," she stated, her voice gentle but uncompromising.

"Please…." his voice took on a pleading tone. He wanted to stand up and push her out of the apartment, but he was afraid she might try the window again, and anyway it would have taken him more willpower than he currently possessed to remove her from his embrace right now.

"Nick, it's me, you can tell me anything," she purred softly and reassuringly, her paws resting on his shoulders, as she looked up into his face with a level of acceptance and tenderness that he had not experienced in countless years.

Mentally, physically and emotionally drained, he finally relented.

"Judy… you don't know what kind of mammal I used to be. What I did. I… I don't deserve this… I don't deserve _you_ …." Those were the only words he was able to get out before he became too choked up to continue. The stinging in his face refused to stop and his vision was growing blurrier by the second as wave after wave of his earlier guilt returned, settling in his stomach and sending his whole body trembling.

' _Keep it together Slick… Never let them see that they get to you… Don't let her see you like this… don't…. just… don't… please no… please… I… I can't…'_

As the first tears started to stain his cheeks, he uttered a gasping sob and let his head drop. He had no empty smirk to hide behind, no walls, no words, nothing. He was utterly exposed, and all that was left in him was years of pent up guilt and shame over the mammal he had been for the majority of his life.

And then, wordlessly, she was there, and all he could feel was a small pair of arms wrapped lovingly around him, cradling his head to her chest, continuing to pour unconditional acceptance onto him. He stopped trying to fight it - he had nothing left to fight with anyway - and let go of all the sadness he had been bottling up for so many years, openly weeping in her arms, her face pressed into the soft, pink fabric of her t-shirt.

He wasn't exactly sure how long they stayed like that, but Judy never once complained or said a word as he let it all out.

After that, everything was an exhausted blur, and he was barely aware he was moving as a delicate grey paw lead him to the bed and directed him to curl up once more in the blankets. This time when he lay down he had one small addition; curled around his upper body and head was the most wonderfully warm, protective bundle of grey fur that gently stroked his ears. Moments later, he fell into blissful sleep.

Judy felt completely at ease as she turned herself into a makeshift pillow for her emotionally distraught and exhausted partner. She didn't fully understand what had brought him to this point, and there was still a lingering thought in the back of her mind that she had no right to have forced herself into this situation, but she felt she had done the right thing, even if not exactly for the right reasons or in the smartest way. Her gambit with the window had nearly ended in disaster, she conceded, but it had paid off. Just.

Nick was out cold and nuzzling gently against her in his sleep, so she allowed herself that moment to process what happened on the window sill. She slipped and lost her balance, and felt herself falling. It wasn't like the fall on Tujunga and Vine; she had mostly been in control then, and was able to manage both her and Nick's descent. No, this time there were no leaves to slow her down, no vines to grab onto, and no chance of a cushioned landing in a pile of moss or leaves; Just a straight fall to certain death on the concrete below, and she had been powerless to prevent it.

The terror which she hadn't had time to fully experience moments before hit her suddenly now, and she had to stifle the urge to wail, slapping one soft paw over her mouth, her tears flowing freely as she quietly sobbed into the fox's ruff. What an utterly stupid thing she'd done. If Nick hadn't been fast enough, he would have had to watch her fall to her death. She curled a little closer to the fox, wracked with guilt and regret.

"Dumb…." was the only word she could manage to level at herself between sobs. He was right to call her that. He'd been generous to call her _only_ that.

The panicky, terrified feeling soon passed as her own exhaustion took hold at last, and even those negative feelings eased off as she remembered how it had really ended. He had caught her, saved her.

"Thank you for catching me," she whispered softly into Nick's ruff, before cuddling in around his head and neck, her own head propped on his pillow as she allowed her mind to drift with that feeling of warmth and protection from the mammal she trusted more than any other. Soon enough, she too was taking slow, measured breaths as sleep overcame her.

* * *

 **Some time later...**

Nick slowly woke to the most delightful aroma. Something of a delicate, sweet,feminine musk and the unmistakable, earthy scent of a place he had never been before, but which he instinctively knew must be Bunny Burrow. He loved that scent, because he loved who that scent belonged to, and he wanted more of it. So he nuzzled into it and licked at it, and was rewarded not only with a delightful taste to match the scent and the sensation of soft fur under his tongue, but also a musical sound of drowsy laughter. Delighted by this result, he repeated his action, and again was rewarded with that beautiful little laugh.

"That tickles…." came a sweet, sleepy, little voice, somewhere above him. He blinked his eyes open and was greeted with the sight of light grey fur under a thin veil of pink fabric. He blinked again and tried to take stock of where he was. This was Judy, curled around him, on his bed. They had fallen asleep together, her shirt had ridden up to expose her midriff, and that was where his nose was now pressing. He was surprised at how soft it was, given how toned the athletic little bunny was. He couldn't help impulsively giving one last lick to get another giggle out of the bunny.

"Stooop…" she giggled, squirming slightly but making no move to push him away.

He wasn't sure if she was actually awake or not, but he decided to show mercy and adjusted his position away from her ticklish tummy, lifting his head up and setting it on the pillow next to hers, their noses a hair's breadth apart as he looked at her sleepy face. He could feel several bruises forming where he had fallen on the floor earlier after pulling her in, but right now that didn't seem to matter to him. Her eyes were still closed, and he lost himself in how beautiful she was at rest. Before he knew what he was doing, he had reached up and was gently caressing her ears, causing her to purr in delight and instinctively nuzzling under his chin again to cuddle into his chest.

As he became increasingly wakeful though, a tinge of guilt entered his thoughts as he recalled her warning earlier in the day of " _not without my permission"_ and he let his paw go limp against her ears, content to simply hold her for now and watch her. Her eyes fluttered open at that moment and she started up at him sleepily.

"Hey, Slick," she purred, nosing his jawline.

"Hey, Fluff," he replied, nosing at the spot between her eyes.

"Why'd you stop?" she said in a slightly grumpy voice, "That felt so nice…"

"I wasn't sure if you'd be okay with it."

"Oh, I was. I really really was," she purred, snuggling in and nuzzling his neck. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he whispered, cuddling her close, "Thank you for being here for me."

She curled herself up closer into his chest, knees tucked up against his belly.

"I will always have your back, partner."

"Right now you have my front…."

"That too."

The smiled at each other and simply held that embrace for several minutes more, neither willing to let it end, but Judy finally drawing her phone from her pocket to check the time.

"You know, it's only been a couple of hours…." she suggested, a hopeful look on her face, "Are you still up for going out? Maybe… we could talk about today over that drink you owe me?"

Despite having only slept a couple of hours, Nick felt refreshed, but he also knew he needed more rest if they were to survive work tomorrow. He felt a pang of reluctance at the thought of talking about any of what had just happened, but now that they were reunited, he could not bear the thought of parting with her just yet. But neither could they stay here. Now that he was fully awake, he was growing keenly aware of the incredibly beautiful bunny lying next to him on his bed, and his pulse was starting to pick up.

"I did promise you a drink, didn't I?" he replied, after too long of a pause.

"We can do it another night if you'd prefer to stay here…." she mumbled, misinterpreting his hesitation.

"…with you?" he teased.

"Don't get any funny ideas there, Slick," she murmured into his chest, hiding her blush. ' _Because if you did, I wouldn't be able to resist…'_ she thought guiltily. "But, yes, if you don't want to go out… we can stay here…."

Neither of them were entertaining the thought of being further than arms-length from one another after that little escapade with the window.

"Yeah, I think I can manage going out for a little while," he replied neutrally. ' _Better than the alternative,'_ he thought to himself, ' _She smells so good right now that if I stay in this small room with her a minute longer, I'm going to try to make one of these funny ideas a reality.'_

He shook his head a little to clear that thought and said, "Let me get out of this uniform and throw some clean clothes on and we can head straight out."

He nosed her forehead affectionately and rolled out of the bed, giving her his back as he started to undress himself. His usual green shirt and trousers were the first item hung on the rack, so it would take him less than a minute to change.

Judy felt the color rush to her cheeks as she watched him pull off his uniform to reveal the russet fur of his slender back, close enough to reach out and run her fingers through. Catching herself staring, she rolled over in the bed and stared at the wall to keep herself from watching her partner undress. The traitorous part of her brain decided to pick that moment to purr a naughty and desirous thought, ' _Aw, what's the rush, Nick? I know how much you like cuddling, so why not stay on this bed with me for just a little longer? What's the worst that could happen?'_

She bit her lip as she seriously considered voicing that thought, and chanced a glance over her shoulder, secretly hoping to catch another glimpse of bare fur, but she was surprised to see that he was already dressed, having probably set a new personal record for getting ready. He was also spraying on enough musk mask to cause her to cough violently, snapping her out of her little reverie.

"What are you doing, spraying for bed bugs?" she hacked.

"Nah, just bed bunnies," he quipped cheerily while shutting and latching the window, and picking up his wallet and phone from the desk by the door. "Ready when you are, Carrots."

Judy stifled another cough as she wafted the air in front of her nose, reluctantly extracting herself from his bed and straightening her pink t-shirt and her leggings, both of which were creased from having been slept in. As she moved, she barely suppressed a wince as she felt her sides aching where Nick had grabbed her a little too roughly while pulling her in. She would probably have some bruises there for a while, but her fur would conceal them, and it was a small price to pay for him saving her life. She knew he would feel bad if he knew he'd bruised her, though, so she kept it to herself.

Nick watched her with open interest as she fixed her clothes and preened her fur a little. His heart still felt heavy after the day's events, and yet it felt lighter than it was before, and surprisingly he didn't feel the least bit embarrassed about breaking down in front of her. He was beginning to appreciate that she simply accepted him the way he was, and that his world seemed so much brighter and a little less broken when she was around.

 _'Still, I don't deserve such a good mammal in my life.'_

And there was that sadness again.

Despite himself, he stepped forward and abruptly pulled her into a hug, earning a surprised squeak, but no resistance from the bunny. He squeezed her tightly as a fresh wave of his earlier guilt-laden anguish returned, fresh tears welling up and threatening to spill over which he quickly blinked back, and a shuddering sigh escaping his lips. She picked up on the drop in his mood immediately, and returned the squeeze, stroking the small of his back tenderly in an attempt to lend some small measure of comfort to him. His tail wrapped around her legs in response, making the tight embrace feel all the more closer.

"Nick, I know it's been a rough day, so if you've changed your mind, I'll understand," she said in soft voice, full of understanding. "Besides, maybe drinking isn't the best idea when you're like this…."

With her there supporting him he felt enough of his usual composure returning to joke, "I'm not letting you get out of it that easy, Carrots." He gave her another appreciative cuddle and added, "One drink only, as promised. Besides, I have my bunny minder to make sure i don't turn into a raging alcoholic, right?"

"Right," she said with a gentle smile.

"But I get to pick the place. Deal?"

"That sounds reasonable," she beamed up at him, happy to see a little of the old Nick returning. "Besides, you know this town better than me."

"Alright then..." he said, straightening up a little and offering his arm. "Let's go."

With that, they departed together, Nick only taking three tries to get his door locked on the way out, and the good elevator arriving this time to take them down to the lobby. The whole while Judy kept a paw curled constantly around Nick's arm, and a stubborn thought held in the back of her mind insisting that she was just taking her best friend out to talk and work through this day's events, as well as to take care of another errand which she had promised to do but couldn't quite remember right this very moment. She kept that stubborn thought going throughout the ride to the ground floor, all the while snuggling closely against his side.

* * *

 _ **A/N: End of fluff**_

 _ **So enough of this Hurt/Comfort malarkey, for now. Next chapter will be a bit more upbeat! Is this some sort of date they are going on!? Follow the story to get the update when it drops and find out!**_

 _ **...or just come back on Friday, because I drop these things on Friday nights. :)**_

 _ **Either way, though, please do leave a review. Or chocolate. (preferably both!)**_

 _ **FUN FACT: Sequoia Towers is a location featured in the Zootopia Crime Files free app game. I adapted it into this fic and combined it with Nick's canon home address (1955 cypress grove lane) as we don't actually know what it looks like. So, for the purpose of this fic, it's a moldy skyscraper disguised as a tree!**_

 _ **See you next week!**_


	9. Chapter 9: Safe From the Storm

_**As of publishing this chapter, YKYLM has been viewed over 11,500 times. I have created a monster. A lovely, fluffy monster! Thank you so much for your support.**_

 _ **So, this is the longest chapter I have ever written, and with good reason. I hope it keeps you entertained throughout. Bear with me, and see it out to the end. You shall not be disappointed. Not going to say more than that.**_

 _ **Just going to sit in my corner now, munch on my chocolates, and wait for your reactions… oh, and please do leave a review once you are done reading (and follow/favorite, if you are so inclined!).**_

 _ **Edit: Fixed some errors, toned down some parts, and added in a missed detail to later sections. (more detail in end notes)**_

 _ **Incoming fluff….**_

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Safe From the Storm**

The Rainforest District at night provided a complex soundscape of rushing water, rustling leaves and night-time insect life, mixed with the discordant sounds of city life. The bustle of mammals heading to their homes or out for a night on the town echoed around Judy, her sensitive ears panning around keenly but struggling to locate their sources.

While her ears were given a rich tapestry of sounds, her eyes, evolved for optimal use in the day, could only pick out indistinct shapes moving around her amidst the confusing tangle of grey outlines which denoted trees and buildings all around them. Even with the light of street lamps and windows to aid her, she felt apprehensive to be walking at ground level in this part of the city, and in plain clothes no less.

However, her apprehension was not exact for her own well-being, rather it was for the mammal beside her. Not that Nick seemed to need her concern right now. In contrast to Judy, his eyes were well adapted for low lighting situations, and so he strode along confidently as they headed into the dimly lit underbrush, easily navigating the overgrown foot paths that lead towards one of the more commercial parts of the district, where they could find the bars and night clubs.

Or so he had claimed.

Judy was beginning to wonder if he hadn't perhaps chosen to take her off the beaten trail just to mess with her. She was struggling to keep her footing in places and had already tripped once on a root peeking between paving stones. After the second time she tripped, he silently caught her paw in his own and guided her along the rest of the path, weaving amongst massive tree trunks and low-hanging vines, with only intermittent street lamps occasionally confirming that they were still following a predetermined path.

Not that Judy was paying much attention to where they were going anymore. The instant Nick grabbed her paw, all she could think about was how easily her small paw fit into his, how surprisingly rough his paw pads were, and how gently he squeezed her own padless little paw. She could feel the skin under her fur flush with color from the physical contact, but she didn't shy away from it, choosing instead to squeeze back and let herself be guided by the fox.

"Just up ahead now, Fluff," Nick stated, leading her towards a break between two large trees with bright light pouring through the gap and whiting out her vision to whatever lay beyond. Nick abruptly disengaged his paw from hers as they reached the end of the path. She barely had time to register the loss of his touch as he reached forward to push aside the dense, green frond of a large fern that was obscuring the path ahead so that he could usher her to walk out ahead of him.

They emerged onto a pedestrian thoroughfare adjoining a canal, with another thoroughfare on the opposite bank and bridges situated along the course to provide a means to cross over. Unlike the path they had arrived from, this whole area was brightly lit to accommodate for all species. The walkway they had emerged onto bustled with every imaginable mammal, and street vendors and entertainers were situated on every corner. The buildings themselves, though interspersed with trees, each hosted a variety of establishments for nighttime entertainment, including bars, clubs, and casinos. Stairs, rope ladders and elevators provided access to walkways high above them, which also hosted a colorful array of fronts for various establishments. Judy's view further up was obscured in part by foliage and darkness, but also a palpable mist that seemed to hang over their heads all the way along the thoroughfare.

"What is this place?" she asked breathlessly, eyes wide in awe as she took in the festive air and open revelry of the many mammals before her.

"Cloud Alley," Nick replied, giving no further explanation. Nor did he need to. Though Judy had never been here herself, not even while on duty, she knew of Cloud Alley. It was one of the oldest parts of the district, known for its lively atmosphere on the night time and especially through the weekends, and a location where many mammals herded together to celebrate the various holidays. It was also infamous among the ZPD for being the biggest hotspot for drunk and disorderly behavior in the entire city, so much so that the Rainforest Precinct was specifically built one block over from this street to allow for rapid response. Looking up, she spotted two jaguars in ZPD uniform on a central walkway, surveying the ground level from their vantage point with that deceptive feline calm which belied their readiness to leap into action at a moment's notice.

"Nick, you sure you're up for something this hectic?" she asked, following on as he started down the road, heading westwards and easily shuffling past the various larger mammals who were also making their way along. Some of the other mammals moved in large rowdy groups, others in more intimate pairings, the sight of which hastened her to the fox's side.

"Oh, no, not here. This is the busier side of the alley. It's much quieter where we're headed, closer to the local precinct," he explained over his shoulder. "Stay close now, Carrots. I'd hate to lose you…." he teased back at her, before picking up the pace. He didn't want to worry her, but being in such a large crowd after the day he'd had was causing him to feel anxious, and he wanted to get out of it as quickly as possible. For her part, Judy didn't complain and easily kept pace with the fox as he wove his way along, correctly suspecting what had prompted his haste.

Sure enough, less than five minutes later they reached a section of the alley - though it was more of a canal with adjoining streets than an alley - where the crowds thinned; far less likelihood of being stepped on, or of stepping on someone else. The lights were dimmer around this section of the alley, but still bright enough for Judy to see clearly that the surrounding establishments were more geared towards medium-sized mammals, and a few for the smaller crowd too.

"Alright, lets see if we can't find a place…." he said, slowing to an easy stroll as he gazed about the street.

"What about that one?" Judy asked, pointing across the water to a lively establishment with the name _The Swinging Vine Club_ lit up in bright neon letters. From the loud thumping of rhythmic dance music, the youthful appearances of the patrons, and the frenetic dancing that could be glimpsed within, it was clear to Nick at least that she had pointed out a nightclub.

"...I think I'll pass on clubbing for tonight," he said skeptically, giving her a bemused look. "I'd like to at least hear myself think, you know."

"Is it that bad in there?" she asked naively, earning a smirk.

"What, has the country bunny never been clubbing before?"

"What? I have! I totally have!"

"You sure?"

"Absolutely! We have clubs in Bunny Burrow!" she exclaimed defiantly. "Well, we have dances. At the annual county fairs. Those count... right?"

"Oh my sweet summer cub…."

"What!?" she scowled at him.

"Don't worry, Carrots, I promise I'll take you to a real club someday," he said in his most obviously patronizing tone. "For tonight, though, let's find something a bit quieter."

"Something your old tod ears can stand?"

"What's that you said?" he asked, cupping a paw to his ear as they continued on past the pulsing music of the club.

"I said, something your ears can stand!"

"Whaaat?" he asked, even louder.

"I said-" she hopped right up beside him and looked up to see him smirking at her wider than ever. "...you're messing with me, aren't you?"

"Speak louder, I can't hear you."

"Ooooh!" she fumed, stomping off a little ways ahead of him.

Just ahead of her were a number of fuzzy mammals she could not immediately identify, on account of the fact they were so furry she almost couldn't make out the mammal beneath the fluff. Thankfully she didn't have to, as they were hustling their way into a small establishment named _The Guinea Pig's Retreat._ She had never met a guinea pig before, and sure she'd have to keep her ears down to avoid whacking a lighting fixture, but it seemed pleasantly quiet within, despite the large numbers of mammals already inside.

"Ok, ok, how about THIS one?" she asked with an excited hop as she turned back to the fox. "It looks cozy."

Nick stopped beside her and crouched down to glance into the small doorway, turning back to Judy with an unimpressed look on his muzzle.

"Wow. An all-prey bar, AND we'd have to stoop not to whack our heads off the ceiling? You sure know how to pick em, Carrots."

"I thought a 'retreat' was what you wanted!" she defended. "And how do you know it's prey only?"

"Well, the Fox-Away sign on the door with "No Preds" written under it was my first clue," he replied, smugly pointing to the slightly faded sign on the door.

"What!?" she exclaimed, immediately slipping into her hard-boiled cop persona and starting for the door. "That is completely illegal! I am going to march right in there, and…."

"Easy, Fluff," Nick countered, catching her by the arms and halting her progress. "We're off duty and supposed to be having a relaxing evening out, not picking fights and making arrests! Besides, you don't want a fox ever going in there. Have you even _seen_ how guinea pigs react to predators? I already have one squealing ball of fluff to deal with tonight!"

"Let me go!" she protested. "And I am _not_ a squealing ball of fluff!"

"No?" he asked, pulling her closer and tickling her sides, though thankfully missing her bruises from earlier.

"Noooo!" she immediately squealed, convulsing in his grip and throwing herself against his chest. "Okayfinepleasejuststop!" she giggled, clutching his shirt and rubbing her nose against it as he let up.

His paws wound up on her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze as he gently pried her away to say, "Shall we continue on?"

She nodded wordlessly and turned in to his side, refusing to give up the physical contact with him and hanging off his arm now as they continued down the walkway, though given the height difference it ended up being closer to hanging off his wrist.

They continued past several established that failed to catch either of their interests, until they came to a medium-sized established built in the style of an old pub, named _The Reynard's Rest Public House._ Judy's ears shot up at the connection to foxes in the name, and gave Nick's sleeve a quick tug.

"Hey, how about this one? It looks pretty roomy, AND it's got a sign on the door saying _Foxes Welcome_!"

Nick took one look at the place and gave her an incredulous expression. "Are you kidding, Fluff? That place is going to be FULL of foxes!"

"...isn't that a good thing?" she asked in confusion.

"Not really. I guarantee that most of the foxes in a place like this will have heard of my hustling escapades, and a few probably know the rumors of my new career. Not a great combo. There won't be any rest for this ' _reynard'_ in there!"

"Ah. Point taken."

Nick paused and took a longer look at the pub, his nose twitching in distaste.

"Besides, it looks so... shady."

"Well, I never," said the bunny incredulously. "A fox calling other foxes shady?"

Nick folded his arms and shrugged.

"Hey, it's fine for a fox to call another fox shady, but when other mammals do it..."

"Ooh, That's just like bunnies and being called cute!" she blustered happily, sensing a potential similarity between their two species that she hadn't previously known about.

"Ah, but there is one difference..." he responded cryptically.

"What's that?"

"You _are_ cute," he stated, giving her his most winsome smirk.

"Nick!" she hissed at him, blushing and falling silent.

A pang of regret hit the fox and he looked away guiltily, "Sorry, was that too far?"

"No, no... it's... it's fine for a bunny's best friend to say it too," she lied.

"Is that right?" he asked, picking up on her fabrication.

"Uh huh, but within reason! Not all the time, and not in front of others, especially other bunnies." She didn't want to say anything to push him away, and she guiltily enjoyed allowing him to call her by what was in fact an intimate term of endearment between bunnies.

"Well, I really did mean it when I said you were cute…." he ventured, crouching down to her eye level again, keen to see what sort of reaction he could get out of her with it now that she'd basically given him _carte blanche_ to use it. She merely meeped softly and stared at her feet. "What was that, Fluff?" with a broad grin, enjoying making her squirm a bit.

Without warning, the blushing bunny leaned in and surprised him with a little kiss on the cheek, and a softly spoken, "Thank you…." She was off down the path just as quickly, leaving a speechless Nick standing there, rubbing his cheek.

"Come on, you shady fox!" she called back to him.

"Lead the way, cute bunny!" he replied, following on, utterly mesmerized by the way her fluffy tail wiggled like crazy when he called her cute, and making a mental note of this as something useful to torment her with later.

The next establishment they noticed, _The Sloth's Hangout_ , was too good to not remark on. As the name promised, it was _full_ of sloths. Giving her a grin, he asked, "how about this place?"

"Har har. Keep walking, Slick," she retorted in monotone.

"No really, I think I see Flash in there. Hey Flash!" he called out, waving at one of the sloths who bore more than a passing resemblance to his old friend.

"Aw, heck no. Walk!" she commanded, not even bothering to confirm if he was telling the truth about Flash being there.

The passed bar after bar, their shared frustration growing; Nick at not finding anything he liked, and Judy at Nick for not just picking one already.

 _The Boar House._

"Nope. Next."

 _The Tiger Den._

"Next!"

 _The Zistopian Saloon._

"Ugh, I want to be less depressed, not more. Next!"

 _The Bear Cave._

"NEXT!"

 _Spots N' Stripes._

"NEXT!"

 _Moose Lodge._

"What uninspired hack is coming up with these names!?"

Judy finally snapped.

"Nick, come on, stop being so picky and choose one already. We've almost walked all the way to the end of the street, it's about to strike the hour, and we didn't bring an umbrella..."

Nick grumbled, but had to concede her point. The sprinkler system which kept the Rainforest District watered activated on the hour, every hour. Part of him was reluctant to choose somewhere, perhaps to avoid the inevitable conversation they would have, but the rain was due to hit soon and neither of them wanted to wind up soaked to the skin.

Just then they passed a side street and their attention was immediately caught by the sight of a purple neon sign in the shape of a distinctly familiar flower, accompanied by the name _The Savage Jaguar,_ complete with claw marks gouged into the solid wooden letters of the word _Savage_.

"...a night howler inspired bar?" Nick spoke up, seeking some confirmation from his partner.

"I don't know if that is inspired or just insensitive," she said finally.

"Well, it sounds interesting, at the very least."

"You want to check it out?" She was surprised.

"Sure, I mean, why not?" He gave a dismissive shrug.

"Woohoo, finally!" she cried, pumping a fist in the air.

"Well, it's either this, or we get soaked-"

On cue, a distant gong sounded, accompanied by a drum rhythm that repeated nine times to mark to hour. A rustling could be heard from overhead as the sprinklers activated and the hourly rain began to descend through the canopy toward them.

"Quickly, get inside!" he exclaimed, grabbing her by the paw and making a run for the entrance. They shot through the door, getting only a light sprinkling from the rain, but avoiding the worst of it. Nick let go of her paw again to shake his fur out briskly, while she took a step away from him and manually groomed some of the water droplets from her ears.

"Told you we should have brought an umbrella…" she grumbled. She hated getting wet. Even with short fur it took forever to dry out.

"Judy. Look."

Hearing Nick use her name for a change immediately caught her attention and she looked up to see him wide-eyed and staring around the interior of the bar. The decor of _The Savage Jaguar_ was fairly standard dark wooden paneling on the walls, wooden tables and benches, and a well-stocked bar along the back wall, but what made the place stand out were the violet-petaled flowers with yellowish stamens that were arranged in bunches and rows besides the door, on the tables and along the bar itself.

"Are these what I think they are?" the fox asked apprehensively as he backed away from a nearby bouquet.

"Hmm, let's see," the inquisitive bunny stated, her face set in grim determination as she cupped one flower under the petals and buried her nose against it, breathing its scent in deeply.

"Judy, _NO_!" Nick yelled, snatching the flower away and accidentally plucking it from its stem.

"What?" she asked, looking up at him perplexed as he held the severed flower out and away from both of them like it was a ticking time bomb.

"What are you thinking, rabbit? Do you _WANT_ to go savage?" he chided her angrily.

"Nick, you can't go savage just from smelling _Midnicampum Holisicithias_ ," she chided right back. "Even if that's what these were. Which they're not."

" _Midni_ -wha? You mean they're not Night Howlers?" he asked, reluctantly bringing the flower back down for both of them to examine more carefully. "Then, what are they?"

"They're a common _Crocus Vernus,_ " she explained matter-of-factly, only to roll her eyes when Nick continued to look at her like she was speaking in tongues. "They're plain, old, garden-variety Spring Crocus flowers. Visually they're nearly identical to Night Howlers, but the aroma is different on account of the mildly toxic effect of the latter's pollen."

"Riiight. Well, thank you for the biology lesson, Dr. Fluffypants," he teased, earning an annoyed huff from the bunny.

An angry growl from deeper in the building caught both of them off guard and they turned defensively as a voice snarled at them in a familiar accent, "Hey you, get away from there! Those flowers are _not_ for picking!"

"I'm sorry, Sir!" Judy called out, addressing the shadowy figure who had emerged from behind the bar and was now marching towards them angrily. "We thought they might be actual Night Howlers."

"Oh. So you know about the Night Howlers?" the shadow asked, slowing its pace, a curious look showing on a feline face.

"Yes, we do know about them, and…" Judy faltered as the shadow drew close enough to clearly discern. It became clear that the approaching mammal wasn't in shadow at all, but that his fur was completely black from head to toe. He was a melanistic jaguar - a panther - and wore a similarly dark vest, shirt and trouser combination that clearly marked him as the bartender. But most strikingly of all, he wore an eyepatch over his right eye, which still failed to conceal the three long scars that ran from his brow, down under the patch to peek out again over his cheek.

"It can't be," she whispered.

"Renato Manchas!" the fox suddenly broke his silence, identifying the mammal before them.

"Have we met?" Manchas asked, stopping short of the pair, a confused look on his face as he regarded them with his one good, green eye.

"Oh, just once," Nick continued. "You _may_ have tried to eat us."

Manchas gave an angry start and approached the fox with one paw balled in a fist to strike him with. "What!? How dare you-" He stopped short as he recognized the pair, all his anger vanishing as soon as it had appeared. "Goodness, it's you! The fox and the policía bunny! You visited me that night, before my... episode…."

A flash of realization and painful regret darkened his already black-furred features and he hung his head shamefully. "I am so sorry for the attempt I must have made on your lives. I was not myself..."

"We know, Mr. Manchas," she said, walking up and calmly taking his large paw with both of hers, not a trace of fear toward the mammal that had almost killed them in a fit of savage rage so many months ago.

Manchas dropped to one knee, holding her paws as delicately as he would a flower. "Please, little bunny, forgive me for then, and for my outburst just now. And do not worry about the flower; it is a gift. If there is anything else I can do to earn your forgiveness, you have only to ask."

"Really, there's no need to hold yourself in our debt," she said, abashed by the forthright display of remorse. "We were just doing our jobs."

"Well technically _she_ was doing her job," Nick said, tucking the crocus behind his ear and stepping up next to the bunny. "I was a civilian conscript at the time."

"Nick!" she scowled quietly, and giving him a gentle elbow to the ribs, wordlessly urging him to accept the jaguar's apology.

"Fine, fine," he chuckled, smirking at the annoyed face she was giving him, then turning to face the penitent panther. "It's alright, Smudges, I forgive you too."

"Ha? How did you know?" Manchas asked, his expression brightening in amusement.

"Lucky guess," the fox replied, tilting his head to the side and patting himself intently on the neck, earning a chuckle from the jaguar.

"What did I miss?" Judy asked, confused by the display between the two males.

"Smudges. It is a nickname sometimes given to panthers such as myself, because of the spots that show on my pelt," Manchas explained, pointing at his own neck and indicating the indistinct rosettes barely visible through the dark hue, which Nick had hinted at. "Only friends call me this name. However... I would be happy to consider you both as such, if it puts that terrible night howler business behind us."

"Deal!" the bunny eagerly accepted.

"I have one condition!" the fox deferred.

"NICK!"

"No no, this is fine, little bunny," Manchas said, placating her annoyance at her partner, only to earn a portion of it himself.

"Please, if we get to call you Smudges, then you can call me Judy, and not _little bunny_ ," she replied tersely, trying not to outright snap at the mammal who was attempting to make amends with them.

"Call her Carrots," insisted the vulpine.

"Niiiick…." she whined at him.

"Is that your condition, Nicholas?"

"Nah, that's just for fun. I was going to ask you for the best seat in the house, though." With that, Nick pointed up at the floor above them, specifically to a private booth with a large monogrammed letter-B on the balcony. Manchas' face dropped at the request as he considered it.

"Ah, that booth is normally reserved for... my financier," he explained, trying not to name-drop one of the most dangerous mammals in Zootopia. "However," he continued reluctantly, "I believe he would not mind you using it just for tonight..."

"It's alright, Mr. Manch- er, Smudges, We already knew that you worked for Mr. Big," she said to placate him. "In fact, I'm good friends with Fru-Fru, so I'm certain he wouldn't mind. And if he does, he can take it up with me directly."

"Eeeasy there, Carrots…." Nick warned, looking around worriedly for any of the infamous arctic shrew's lackeys. Thankfully they were currently the only patrons in the bar right now.

"Well," replied Manchas, looking a little more confident. "If you know the boss' daughter, then I suppose it is alright. Please, come this way and I will how you to the _Big Booth._ "

"One second," Nick said, briefly halting the proceedings. "Carrots?"

Judy perked up and immediately turned to her partner, curious to know what he wanted. He wordlessly leaned in and, with a gentle paw, removed the purple-petaled crocus from behind his ear to gently thread it along hers, the flower now resting delicately against her brow.

"He _did_ say it was a gift for you," he explained in an warm tone, secretly enjoying the wide-eyed blush the act had evoked from the bunny. Before she could say or do anything in response, he straightened up and headed off to Manchas' side. "Alright Smudges, old buddy, lead the way!"

Judy stood there in a daze, gently touching the flower resting against her scalp, not quite able to process what had just happened, until a familiar voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"You coming, Fluff?"

She blinked and realized they were already several paces ahead of her, and so quickly hustled back to Nick's side, being careful to ensure the flower did not fall from its new resting place.

As they made their way around the bar to a partially hidden door, Judy's curiosity got the better of her. "If you don't mind my asking, Mr. Manchas, how did you end up running your own bar? Smudges! Sorry."

Manchas chuckled, and shook his head. "Do not worry, Miss Judy, you can use that name if it is more comfortable. And, as for the bar, it is a long story, and I do not wish to distract from your night with your friend…." That last was said while unlocking the door, revealing the staircase up to the booth. "This way, if you please."

Manchas was the first to ascend, followed by Judy and then Nick.

"We don't mind hearing it, do we, Nick?" Judy asked, pressing the jaguar for details. As Manchas looked back, concerned, Nick simply shrugged his shoulders and gave Manchas a sympathetic look; when Judy wanted something, she'd get it, one way or another. The jaguar sighed in reluctant agreement as he opened the door at the top of the stairs, permitting them into the booth.

The _Big Booth_ , as Manchas had named it, was a spacious balcony overlooking the entire bar. A vine-strewn certain of mesh ensured that the occupants could easily see out, but could not easily be seen themselves from below. More purple crocus flowers were dotted around the seating area place, but besides those it was not an extravagantly decorated space, perhaps intended by Mr. Big as a private meeting place, or perhaps a spot for more intimate liaisons, away from the gaudy trappings of his mansion. The main fixture was a single table, big enough to fit a group of polar bears, but with an adjustable height mechanism on both the table's central leg and on the surrounding seats to accommodate smaller mammals too.

Manchas set to work adjusting the table and chairs for his two guests while he gave his story in his purring accent.

"Very well, I will tell you. After the incident with that savage little otter, I could not work as a driver anymore. Even if he had not partially blinded me in one eye, the memory of the attack left my nerves too scattered to get back behind the wheel again.

Of course, I bear no enmity to Emmitt, for he was not himself. Truth be told, even long after my _episode,_ I find myself struggling with explosive anger. Emmitt, he suffers with this too. I believe he and his family moved out of the city to one of the burrows for a quieter life, so that he could cope.

As for myself? I am receiving excellent counselling right here in the city. But, still, it is like a little piece of me stayed savage. Suffice it to say, this is not an ideal state of mind when driving the roads of Zootopia, so remaining as a driver was no longer an option."

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Judy said miserably from the seat she had taken at the now adjusted table. "I wish there was something I could do."

Nick, now sitting beside her, rested a paw reassuringly on her back and stroked it gently.

"Oh, do not pity me, _senorita_ , truly I am much happier working a bar than being a chauffeur," Manchas consoled her warmly, "And besides, you have already helped more than you know."

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"Mr Big, when he offered me the opportunity to run this bar, he told me it was part of him paying forward the kindness you had done for him and for all of the city's predators. So I suppose it is you I must thank for this upturn in my fortunes. Please, allow me to offer you a few drinks on the house."

Before Judy could protest, Nick chimed in, "That would be lovely, Smudges, thank you. I'll take a _blueberry daiquiri_ , and the lady will have a… _carrot colada_?" He gave her a quizzical look, receiving an annoyed expression, then a small, affirmative nod that caused her flower to bob against her brow.

Manchas nodded and gave them both a warm smile. "I will return with your drinks shortly."

Once the jaguar was gone, Judy rounded on Nick in annoyance. "You didn't have to chase him off, you know!"

"And you didn't have to get his life story either," he retorted, a little harder than intended. "We're not here on a case, Fluff, so let's try to relax a bit, okay?"

Judy blinked in surprise at the unusually harsh response from her partner, and bit back the urge to escalate it to a confrontation. She could see he was weary and needed a break.

"Sure, we can relax," she replied as neutrally as she could, while reaching out to touch him in what she hoped would be interpreted as reassurance. The touch had its intended effect and he sagged tiredly in his chair.

"...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I just, I didn't want-"

"Nick, it's okay. You don't have to explain," she said softly, snuggling into his side. "We're here to relax, like you said. And you need it."

He nodded, letting some of the tension out in a long exhale. The bar was in an out-of-the-way place, so it was fairly quiet right now, but no doubt it would pick up in an hour or two when more of the nocturnal mammals emerged. However, with no background music playing, and they being the only patrons he had seen, the only sound currently was that of the artificial rain drumming on the roof and the walls and the windows. It was a soothing sound, and having Judy snuggling in closer and closer to his side amplified the calming effect. But it also made him feel discomfited the longer he left her to cuddle into him, and eventually he had to say something about it, especially after that little incident in the apartment.

"Carrots, can we talk about… this?"

"About what?" she asked, looking up at him with sweet, innocent eyes that matched the vibrant purple of the flower on her brow, causing his breath to catch. She looked truly beautiful, but he willed himself to press on with what he was trying to say.

"You know… can we talk about how affectionate we've been today?"

"Oh?"

"Yeah… I know you said you missed me, and I missed you too. And I know you said wanted some _quality cuddle time_ , and I do too, but…."

An awkward moment passed as he noticed how she was blushing at his words and he faltered, unsure how to continue.

"...do you want me to stop?" she supplied.

"Do I want my happy-go-lucky bunny partner to stop being so happy-go-lucky? No, no I do not."

"Then, what's the problem?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

Nick gave a long sigh. Where to start with _that_ question? Which problem did he want to tackle right now? The big question was the one Bogo had put to him to answer, to sort out his feelings with his partner so they could keep working together. But he needed to know what the buffalo had said to her first. That seemed like the best starting place, then.

Nick turned in his seat to face her directly as he asked his own question, "Did Bogo say anything to you when you went in to see him?"

Judy blinked in surprise, but her response was immediate. "Nick, you know I can't divulge the details of your assessment," she tried to dodge the question, averting her eyes.

"Ah, so it WAS an assessment meeting then."

' _Crap baskets.'_

"Nick, I can't…."

"Judy, please," he begged, catching one of her small paws in her own. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

She bit her lower lip. Telling him the details of her discussion was unethical and could land her in hot water with the chief if he found out, but there was no way Nick would reveal that he had this information to the Chief. And if her partner was telling her it was important, she wasn't about to start doubting him now.

"Okay… He wanted to know my opinion of your performance. I told him about how you balanced out my approach with Flash, the leads you were able to get out of him, how you handled yourself in the interview, and just… just how great it was to finally have you working with me."

She was blushing heavily at expressing so much praise for her partner and Nick couldn't help but smile and give her paw a reaffirming squeeze.

"Well, thank you, for all of that. I never doubted that you would give anything less than a glowing report," he said with a cheeky smirk that made her roll her eyes at him. "Was there anything else, though? Anything at all that he said?"

She thought for a moment, then her eyes went wide, as she exclaimed, "I think he was watching the interview with Flash. Some of it anyway. He made a joke about cow bells."

"The chief made a joke? Like an actual, funny joke?"

"Well, it wasn't really all that _funny_ , but I laughed anyway to be polite. And then he kicked me out. And… that was it."

"Nothing else?"

Judy hesitates, remembering divulging her feelings for Nick to the chief. Now was not the right time to lay those details bare, though.

"…nothing comes to mind. Why, what did he say to you?"

Nick hesitated.

"Lets just say he gave me one hell of a hazing."

"He did _WHAT_!?" she cried, leaping to her feet in her chair, "Is it because you're a fox? I will strap that buffalo to his own desk and whip his sorry flank into tomorrow if he so much as _DARED_ to discriminate against _my_ fox again! _AGAIN_! He did, didn't he? Of _course_ he did! That overgrown, obnoxious, outdated… _OX_! That's it! I'm going to give that ignorant cow a piece of my mind!"

It was all Nick could do to pin the furious rabbit to the table before dragging her into his lap and restraining her. He thanked every joint-aching minute of restraint training he had endured at the academy, otherwise he never would have been able to prevent her rushing off and assaulting their commanding officer - funny and satisfying though it might be to watch. Holding her tightly to his chest, her arms pinioned to her sides and her legs flailing in the air, he rocked her in his grip, trying to snap her out of her fervor.

"Judy. _JUDY_! Calm down! Calm… calm…."

He felt her start to sag against him, some of the fight leaving her and she stared up at him, a plainly hurt look expression on her face, and her flower dangling by its stem, about to fall.

"B-but-"

"Thank you for wanting to protect me, but it's done now," he said, reaching up to replace the crocus, and tenderly stroking her ear as he did so, earning a soft purr. "And besides, I don't think it was discriminatory. Actually, I got the impression it was pretty standard procedure. Did you see the looks everyone was giving me as I headed up there?"

"I… was a bit distracted at the time," she confessed guilty. ' _Staring at my wonderful fox…'_

"Everyone had this pitying look, like they were watching a mammal about to march off to his death."

"He did seem pretty upset though, maybe they were reacting to that?"

"Yes but they were also giving me that look _before_ he called. It's like they all knew what was about to happen."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised you missed it. You must have been pretty distracted."

"Haha!" she forced a fake, nervous laugh, trying to change the subject as fast a possible, "Well, you know, I wanted to be absolutely sure everything made it into the report, and we got it done just in the _Nick_ of time!"

"Oh wow you actually went there."

"Yea I went there what're ya gonna do about it?"

"Tickles."

"Tickles?"

"Yes."

"No…"

"Yes!"

"Nooooo!"

Squeals of laughter erupted from the bunny as the fox dug his claws into her sides and raked them gently up her ribs, sending her into several wild spasms while he kept her trapped on his lap.

"Mercy, please! I won't make any more puns, I promise!" she cried through several snorting laughs.

"I will grant you mercy just this once. The next offense shall be punishable by death."

"Meany," she grumbled, rubbing her ribs, which were still a little sore from earlier.

"Sorry, Fluff. It's my job to enforce the law, after all."

"Those are some funny laws you're enforcing."

"Absolutely hilarious; you should have seen your face just now."

"Uh huh," she tried to sound unimpressed. "Speaking of death sentences, you were saying?"

"Sure…." he said, putting on his best dramatic narrator voice, "So there I was on my own personal _Green Mile_ -"

"Skip, get to the execution."

"Yes your majesty."

"Off with his head!" she exclaimed, pointing at the ceiling imperiously.

That got a snort of laughter out of the fox.

"You are on fire today, Fluff."

"Is that what Bogo did to you?"

"Well he did gave me a good roasting."

"Okay, okay, seriously though, what did he actually say?"

Nick hesitated.

"Well, first he asked me for the report. He read it, or did I good job of pretending to. Then he asked for my badge."

"He did _WHAT_!?"

"Fluff, if you're going to freak out over every little detail, I'm going to end story time and put you straight to bed without supper."

"Fiiiine…" she muttered petulantly, folding her arms as a stray thought started to form. ' _Put me to bed? I think you mean TAKE me to BACK bed. Please, oh please, take me back to- SHUT UP BRAIN, THE STUPID SEXY FOX IS TALKING.'_

"So, after he took my badge, he asked what I thought it stood for, called me on my BS answer, and then brought up my past. The hustling and whatnot."

"He knew about that?"

"He knew enough to really lay into me, to question my motivations for joining the precinct, and my… uh… intentions towards you. I mean he practically called me a shifty, conniving, untrustworthy fox, but… he wouldn't have been wrong. Everything in that file really made me look like one."

"There was a file?"

' _Crap baskets.'_

"…yes," he confessed, a rasp in his voice as he fought against the urge to try and lie his way out of it, "An extremely large file. He told me you hadn't seen it, but… Judy… please, please don't go looking for it. I'm… I'm not that person anymore, but if you read half the things I've done over the years… I… I don't…"

Nick couldn't hold her gaze a moment longer and dropped his muzzle to his chest, his ears flat against his skull, betraying the depth of his shame even as he tried to keep himself from breaking down like he had done in Bogo's office.

Judy felt her heart breaking. It all made sense now; _this_ was what had really wounded her fox so badly today. In an instant she was standing on his chair doing her best to throw her arms around his shoulders, his nose pressing to her chest as she leaned her forehead against his.

"Oh, Nick… no, sweetheart, I wouldn't. I won't ever, I promise," she whispered, nuzzling the spot between his eyes, which were currently closed in a sorrowful expression. "I don't care who you used to be, or what you did in the past. I care about who you are now."

Nick's paws, which were hanging limply at his side, came up to hold the small of her back, just above her tail, holding her to him as he slowly nuzzled against her front. He let out a slow, shuddering breath that blew through the buttoned gaps at the front of her shirt, tickling through the soft fur of her belly. Despite herself, she couldn't help giggling softly at the sensation. The sweet sound of her laughter brought a slight smile to the sullen vulpine's features.

"Thank you, Carrots," he breathed, "It really means a lot to me that yoooouuuu… ooooh… whatreyuhdoin…?"

Nick's brain suddenly melted into putty as the most luxurious sensation he had ever felt began to radiate down his scalp from his ears.

"Returning a favor," the bunny smugly purred as she gently massaged the delicate triangles of his ears, pulling his large head against her chest as she worked those sensitive organs.

"Ohpleasedon'tstaaahp…" he groaned, sagging into her. Judy smirked evilly as she watched the fox melt under her slightest touch.

"Hmm, it seems I have discovered your one true weakness, Mr. Fox."

He could only huff in delight and lean into her chest as she continued. Her glee was short-lived though as she felt his paws go loose on her back and mindlessly slip further and further down her back, until they slid a little _too_ far, causing her to freeze in shock, her paws abruptly no longer massaging his ears.

"huh…" Nick panted, feeling his senses suddenly return to him, "Why did you st-"

Nick looked into an almost unrecognizable face, eyes wider than he had ever seen, cheeks and ears glowing the brightest red, clearly visible even under grey fur. Something soft under his paws…? He squeezed, and the bunny whimpered and bit her lip.

"Nick…" she strangled out, trembling against him. He felt her tail twitch against the tops of his paws and he glanced around her hips to see how they had firmly ensconced themselves upon the roundness of her well-toned bottom.

"Oh…."

The red fox went redder than he had ever turned in his entire life.

"Well… I'm just going to… let go now…."

Judy bit her lip and nodded against him, giving a barely stifled gasp as she felt his paws leave her rear. Slowly stepping away, she flopped back into her seat next to him and sat there in silence for several moments, just staring at her lap, her eyes half-lidded and every inch of skin above her collar turned a shade of red.

"I guess I found your one true weakness as well, Fluff," he said with a rueful grin.

She gave him a blank stare. Then, without warning, she leaped to her feet, grabbed his green, Pawaiian shirt on either side of his collar and started to shake him while giving him the most adorable scowl.

"You... mean… nasty… sly… sneaky… dirty…. no-good… rotten… bug-breathed… BUNNY MOLESTER!" she cried, while yanking him back and forth. Nick, for his part, tried not to laugh as he was rocked to and fro by her tantrum. Quickly enough she ran out of steam and sagged against him breathlessly. By some small miracle, the flower had peacefully kept its place atop her head the whole time.

"Yikes, I think I'm feeling a little bit dizzy after _that_ ride…." he said still rocking a little from the violent motions she'd just put him through.

"Serves you right. You… you red-furred pervert!" she panted, punctuating the last word with one last halfhearted shake.

"…should I come back later?" The voice from the doorway startled both mammals. Stood there, watching them with his one good eye was Manchas.

"Or, if Miss Judy would prefer, should I take Nicholas out back and rough him up a little for his indiscretions? No teeth or claws this time, I promise."

"Smudges, buddy! You wouldn't do that to your old pal Nick."

"Right now, fox, you do not call me Smudges," came a menacing growl, "Only the lady gets that honor."

Judy gave Nick a sly grin, to which he stared at her plaintively with a ' _you wouldn't…'_ face. Her smile warmed as she held his gaze.

' _You're lucky I love you, Slick.'_

"No Mr. Manchas- um, Smudges, that won't be necessary. I already taught my unruly fox some manners. Didn't I, _Nicholas_?"

"Oh yes, my dear bunny overlord, I will behave myself from now on," he proclaimed, dropping from his chair to one knee and holding both paws up to her exaltingly.

"That is good. It is quite difficult, though not impossible, to administer a beating while carrying drinks," the jaguar said jovially, walking into the room and revealing the tray in his previously obscured paw with two tall glasses balanced carefully upon it. From the blue color and berry-sweetened scent of one, and the carrot stick pointing out of the other, it was obvious for whom each drink was intended.

Judy clapped her paws together excitedly and Nick resumed his seat as the drinks were served, both chirping a grateful, "Thank you," to Manchas as he gave a congenial bow and headed back down to the main area to serve some other customers who had just arrived.

Judy wasted no time in gulping down a good portion of her carrot colada, chasing away the last remaining dregs of her earlier mortification at the fox's meandering paws. Nick was a little more reserved with nursing his daiquiri, trying his best not to let his guilt over his most recent infraction get the better of him.

"So!" she expressed cheerfully, setting her glass back down on the table, "Where were we?"

"You mean before I grabbed you by the-?"

"Bring that up again and I will _put you down_ , Wilde _._ " She growled, pointing a tiny fist under his nose.

"Noted! So... where was I?" he asked with an embarrassed grin.

Judy rolled her eyes. "The file?"

"Right, so Bogo dropped that file on me. Not literally, though, I'm sure it would have killed me. It looked pretty heavy…."

"Go on."

"Yes, right. So I threatened to walk out and that's when he said," Nick paused and put on his best impression of the imposing buffalo, "Wilde, you set one foot out that door and you can forget about putting this badge on ever again."

"No!" she gasped with a slight slur.

"It's the truth."

"That's really it. I'm gonna go knock down his door and give _him_ a roughing up! You just _try_ and stop me!" she exclaimed, leaping to her feet and play acting at rolling up her sleeves. Nick didn't move.

"…go on, try and stop me!" she said with a hint of excitement in her voice.

"…I'm afraid."

"Of what? Of accidentally grabbing my butt again?"

"…pretty much, yeah."

"Niiick, you're no fun."

"What, you _want_ me to grab it?"

"Ye- I mean, no!" she cried, looking flustered. "I just… I dunno, I wanted you to restrain me like you did before. It was kinda fun, like a really aggressive hug."

Nick blinked and laughed.

"Just how strong is that stuff you're drinking?"

"not very…" she mumbled.

"What was that, Fluff?"

"Just drink your blueberry thing and get on with your story!" she growled, sitting back down with a huff. Nick obliged, taking a swig of his daiquiri before continuing.

"So… Bogo basically threatened to fire me if I left, and I wasn't about to let him do that, so I walked back in and sat."

"Then what?"

"Then… he kept pushing me and pushing me until I just snapped..."

"You snapped…?"

"yeah…" he murmured.

"At Bogo?"

"Yup…"

"And he DIDN'T turn you into a fox pancake right then and there?"

"Nope."

"What did you say to him, exactly?" she asked, her voice full of wonder.

"I told him the truth. I wanted to make your dream of making the world a better place a reality. That it had become my dream too. And if he wasn't going to help me, I'd do it without him."

"Aw, Nick…" she smiled warmly and hugged his arm.

"and… one other thing…"

"What?" she asked airily, smiling at the fox.

He briefly considered telling her about his little confession, but thought better of it. Too much had happened today, and this was not not how he imagined making such a confession, assuming he ever did. He settled for relating one of the last things he'd said to the chief, instead.

"I may have called him a pompous old cow…."

"No way!"

"Right to his face."

"Sweet cheese and crackers. You know what this means, right?"

"That I am the bravest fox you've ever met?" he asked proudly.

"It means Bogo's gonna wait until tomorrow and turn you into a fox pancake _right in front of the entire bull pen!_ "

"Oh… crap baskets…."

"Yup, _YOU'RE DEAD,_ Slick!" she fell over in her chair giggling madly.

"Ugh, great, you had to remind me of bear mom while you were at it too," he grumped, taking a long swig of his drink.

Eventually Judy's gigglefit calmed and she sat back up and leaned against the fox again with a breathless smile. "I guess you win then. That does sound like the toughest day ever."

"Definitely the toughest job interview I've ever been through, at least."

"I hope you still _want_ the job after all of that…" she timidly asked.

"Well, you remember when we were tracking down Otterton and you had that little standoff with Bogo on Tujunga and Vine? After you got through that, what was the first thing you wanted to do?"

 _'I wanted to throw myself into your arms, cry into your neck fur, and wish for time to stop moving….'_

"Earth to Fluff?"

"Oh, um... I guess I wanted to just go find a safe, warm, quiet space and forget the world for a little while..."

Nick smiled warmly at the bunny on his side and let her have a moment to connect the dots. A few seconds later she sat bolt upright, ears to the sky as she shot him an apologetic look.

"Oh, Nick, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have forced you to come out with me. I made you leave your own little safe haven just so I could-"

"Who said my dingy little apartment is where I feel safe and warm?"

At her confused look, he wrapped one arm around her and gave her a tender hug.

"Where else could I possibly feel safer than next to the ZPD's finest officer?"

Judy smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging back tightly.

' _Thank you for being my safe haven…'_ he thought, wishing he had the strength to speak those words aloud, hoping his actions carried the meaning for him.

"Ahem, anyway, that's only half of the answer."

"Oh?"

"What did you want to do _after_ retreating to your own little safe haven?"

"Get on with the job," she supplied in a matter-of-fact tone.

He continued to give her that warm smile and once more her face lit up as she hugged him tighter.

"…I knew it," she mumbled into his shirt, her eyes glistening with happy tears.

"You bunnies…." he purred, stroking her ears gently, and being careful not to dislodge the flower.

"Yeah yeah, so emotional, I know," she said through a sniffle, "This day has been far too long. But, I'm glad I was able to share it with you, Nick."

"I'll drink to that."

"And, glass half full, we solved our first official assignment together! Well, you did. I feel like I was mostly along for the ride on that one."

"Speaking of glasses, this one is all empty. You want another?" She nods. "Hey Smudges, old buddy, two refills on table one!"

"Coming right up, Mr Wilde!" came a congenial voice from down below.

"As for today, you can't give me ALL the credit, Fluff. You did help! A little."

"Har har. You have to admit that we made a difference though."

"Making the world a better place, huh?"

"You and me, partner. Together." she said, giving him a friendly punch on the arm.

Her mind started to wander in that moment though as she thought about them being together, if that was even possible. Assuming he wasn't just interested in settling down with that vixen. She started thinking about what all the questions she wanted to ask him that seemed to suddenly be bubbling to the surface. ' _Do you like me as more than a friend? Can we be more than that? How did it feel when I kissed your cheek outside on the street? Did you want to kiss me back? Do you want to kiss me right now? I want to kiss you right now. If we kiss, would you want to do more than that? Do you even find me attractive that way? Is -that-_ _even possible between our species? I know I looked some stuff up, but I kinda want to find out for myself. Do you want to find out too? Come to think of it, do you want kits in the future? Would you want to have kits with me? Do you think we can even have kits? If we can't, would we adopt? We'd probably need to get married first though. Do you even want to get married? I mean, I know it's sudden and all, but if you asked me right now I'd probably say-'_

"Earth to Judy?"

"Huh, wha?" she blinked dazedly at the fox who was lightly shaking her.

"You were spacing out hard, Fluff. You sure you can handle another drink?"

"Sorry, Nick. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Want to talk about it?" he asked, concerned.

She looked back up at him, considering the question. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for, wasn't it?

"I do... I really really do."

"Alright, I'm all ears fluff. Not as much as you of course, but I will try!"

"Funny foxy."

"Cute bunny."

Remembering what she did the last time he called her cute today, her breath caught in her throat and she blushed softly, instinctively scooting closer to him.

"Uh oh, am I going to get another kiss?" he teased, enjoying the flustered look on her face, but starting to feel a little flustered as well. Realizing he was starting to think about kissing her himself, he coughed softly and pulled away from her as much as he could convince himself to.

"So, uh, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

She sighed and put her paw in her pocket, remembering her promise to Cassie from _The Leopard's Spot_. It seemed like such a long time ago, given how crazy this day had been, but she still had that promise to keep. She took a breath, and resolved to get this done, once and for all.

"What... what did you think of that Vixen from earlier today?"

"Which... oh, you mean the waitress at the cafe? She was nice. Friendly. Seemed like an honest sort. New to the city, young, naive, single, and probably living alone in a dusty apartment somewhere in Savanna Central. If I had to guess she probably moved out here from the suburbs, Deerborough most likely, not more than a month ago."

"...how did you?"

"Scent. Her clothes still had the smell of someplace other than the city on her, not the burrows since I know that scent well enough from you, but definitely a touch of the dust and cheap disinfectant smell of low-end city accommodation. She didn't smell like any other city zone so it's reasonable to guess she's living near her work and hasn't gotten around much, so definitely in Central. That she's young and didn't have the scent of any male on her implies she is single and probably quite naive to boot."

"Canine noses are scary."

"Vulpine, but you still get the runner up prize. Lupine noses are the really sensitive ones, but we can tell quite a bit too."

"I see. You ever use that sniffer on me?"

"Oh, _all_ the time, Fluff," he teased. "You still smell like the burrows by the way. A few more months in the city though and it'll be like you never lived anywhere else."

"Oh..."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I don't know. For some reason, that thought just makes me feel a little homesick, is all."

"You were last back there, what, three, four months ago?"

"Your nose is that accurate?"

"Nah. I just figured that's where you'd just come from when you turned up at my bridge in a farm truck and hollering about night howlers again."

"Oh, duh, of course..."

"So... Cassandra?"

"Who?"

"The vixen."

"Right, Cassie. Do you... do you like her?"

"She seems nice enough. I'm not really looking for any more friends right now though."

"No, I mean. Do you find her attractive?"

"...Fluff, what's this about?"

"She... she asked me to ask you if you would be interested."

"Uh huh? And why would she ask _you_ that, and not me?"

"Because she thought I was... against you dating..."

A short silence followed, where Nick appeared to be lost in thought.

"Are you?" he suddenly asked.

"Am I what?"

"Against me dating?"

"...Am I against you dating someone who really cares about you? No, no I am not," she replied evasively.

The silence stretched longer this time as Nick seemed to really consider what she had said. Finally, he spoke again.

"So you think she isn't looking for something serious?"

"I don't know. She seemed really sincere about her interest," she admitted, before apprehensively asking him, " _Did_ you find her attractive?"

"Did I think she was attractive for a vixen? Yes, yes I did..."

"Oh."

"But I already have one cute, naive out-of-towner to look out for. Not sure if I can handle a second."

"Nick, come on, this is serious…."

"Hey, I am very serious. Keeping you out of trouble is a full time job!"

"One you are now getting paid for," she quipped.

"Oh? And what about the overtime I'm pulling right now, huh?"

"Pretty sure _I'm_ the one pulling overtime to look after your grumpy old tail, Slick."

"Hey, I am _not_ grumpy," he grumped at her.

"Anything you say, Fluff," she teased.

"Oh _no_ you didn't."

"Oh _yeah_ I did. You get so fluffed up when you're upset."

"I do not!" he retorted, smoothing his fur down.

Judy suddenly reached out and hugged him tightly, surprising him. She knew he was just trying to dodge the question, so she needed to stay focused.

"So... vixen?"

"You seem to like her so much, why don't you date her first and let me know how it goes?" he teased.

"Thanks, but I already have my paws full with one troublesome vulpine. Don't need another," she teased, mirroring his earlier jibe. "Also, I don't swing that way."

"Fine, fine," he grumbled. "You really want me to give this girl a shot, huh?"

Judy hesitated to answer, staring at her lap instead as she numbly tried to figure out what it was she really wanted.

"Carrots? _Do_ you want me to do this?" he reluctantly asked. "Because if you think it's a good idea, then I'm willing to give it a shot..."

 _'And maybe it will help me get over this thing I have for you.'_

" _Do_ I think it's a good idea?" she asked softly, still hesitantly.

"Well? Do you?" he asked.

Judy let that question hang just a little longer. She knew where this was going now, and she was only delaying the inevitable by stalling.

"Nick… we're friends, right?"

"The best friends in Zootopia and all of the Tri-Burrows, according to my sources."

"Haha, yeah…" she mumbled.

This was it, she realized. Everything had built to this moment. She had kept her promise to the vixen, and Nick had pushed the decision back onto her. Now she either risked everything and took her shot, or she settled for being friends and lost her chance with Nick to another female. There was nothing and no one standing in her way here. All that was left to ask herself was whether she wanted to take her shot or not.

All it took was one glance into her partner's eyes to convince her which path to take.

' _Come on Jude, you can do this... you can do this... you CAN do this… IF you have another drink!'_

She reached out and quickly knocked back the rest of her carrot colada, wincing as it burned on the way down. She coughed, heaved in one large breath, then forced the words out before she could talk herself out of it again.

"Have... have you ever thought that maybe... _we_... could be more?"

Nick felt the blood drain from his face as his adrenaline spiked. An overwhelming sense of doubt hit him as he tried to process the question and failed. So he did the only thing his instincts would allow him to do right now.

"...wow, that must be one strong colada you're drinking," he stalled.

The flood gates opened. Months of pent up frustration capped with a day of such close proximity to the mammal of her dreams burst the dam which had been holding back her feelings, and they came flooding out of her faster than she could express them.

"Nick, please... I know it's a really inappropriate question, but I need to know. I've been having all of these thoughts while you were at the academy and I did consider that maybe it was just me getting a little too excited to finally have you as my partner and letting my imagination go wild, but then today finally happened and it was so great, because I got to spend every moment of it with you and I knew it wasn't just my imagination and I was really feeling all these things for you and I want all of my days to be like today, just me and you, and I know how selfish that is because I don't even know if you see me as more than just the dumb bunny who wouldn't have lasted a week in this city without you and, _and_..."

"Carrots! Woah, slow down! Breathe, just breathe…." he instructed as she started to hyperventilate, trying to keep himself from panicking as he pulled her into his lap and rubbed her back.

It was more than she could take and her nerves cracked.

"I'm sorry! Please... please just forget I said that. I don't want to lose you as a friend!" she cried out, her vision hazing over as she fought back a sudden well of tears.

"Shh. Hey, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm sorry..." she whined, lowering her head against his side and wincing her eyes closed as she caught her breath. ' _Now you've really gone and done it, you dumb bunny.'_

Nick grimaced as flashes of Bogo's warning ran through his head. He knew he couldn't keep running from this, whatever it was, and the longer he left it, the worse it would eventually be. He took a calming breath and steeled himself.

"Judy, listen to me," he spoke softly, touching her cheek to gain her full attention. He spoke slowly, thoughtfully and methodically, trying to work through his feelings even as he haphazardly explained them.

"The truth is… I've been feeling... _something_ , for you too, but I'm not sure what that something is. I've never been this close with another mammal before and I'm scared I'm just getting carried away because I let you get close. I don't know if what I'm feeling is more than simple animal attraction, because… well, I've never really _been_ with anyone before. I mean, physically I have, yes, but romantically? Never. I never let anyone get close enough, and if they tried, I pushed them away. I've hurt a number of decent mammals like that… Something I'm not proud of, but there it is. I know that on the surface I always look like I know what I want, but deep down I'm a confused mess, and I don't want to act on anything that could ruin our careers and, more importantly, our friendship. But..."

He paused to calm his own nerves, gently stroking her cheek as she gazed back at him, her ears pointed straight upwards as she soaked in every one of his words. Her violet eyes glistened with unshed tears, and her soft, grey-furred face - accentuated by the delicate petals of the purple flower that hung just over her brow - expressed her acceptance of everything he was saying. She was truly beautiful to look upon, and gazing into her eyes Nick knew he could speak his next words with absolute confidence.

"...I will say one thing, Fluff," he continued. "You can keep that little piece of paper in your pocket for now, because until I know exactly what it is we're feeling for each other, I'm not looking anywhere but you."

Leaning in, he touched his nose to hers in a gentle affectionate expression. She blushed at the contact, but didn't try to escalate it. She was just happy that it was all out in the open.

"I'm glad," she said with a tender smile. It was a lot of information to process, but she at least now knew that his interest was mutual, though how far that feeling went she was yet to find out. A wicked smile graced her lips as she contemplated a way to test just that.

"So… this _something_ you're feeling," she started, trying to keep her voice all sweetness, "is THAT why you grabbed by butt earlier?"

She reveled in the look of unbridled mortification he gave her. She almost wished she had her phone out to immortalize his expression, she was certain it would have won Clawhauser's pool as well.

"You're not going to let that go, are you, Fluff?" he groaned.

"You weren't in any rush to let it go either, Slick," she grinned, trying not to blush as she stared him down.

"Judy." Her heart always skipped a beat when he used her name instead of one of those cutesy nicknames, and this time was no different. He took her paws in his and drew her up to stand at his his eye level. His voice was full of genuine repentance and it instantly made her regret the little teasing game she was trying to play. "I'm really sorry for grabbing you like that. I swear to you it was an accident."

"…Really?" she asked, settling her paws against his chest and angling her nose down shyly as she gazed up at him.

"Really." He said, giving her an apologetic smile, though a hint of wickedness flickered in his eyes only moments later. "I mean, if I _was_ planning to grab you inappropriately, I would have gone for the tail…."

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde," she growled, getting right in his face, "If you touch my tail, I'll… I'll…." ' _Probably melt in your arms, slide out of my clothes and- BRAIN. STOP.'_

"Don't worry, Fluff, I promise you I would _never_ take advantage of you," he said softly, a hint of his earlier sadness returning as he recalled Bogo's accusations to the contrary.

"I know," came a quiet but certain voice just above his nose.

The fox blinked up at the bunny in surprise. "You do?"

"Of course. If you say it was an accident, then I believe you," she said, almost in a whisper, yet her tone carrying the surety of her words. Her paws stroked tenderly at the fur along his exposed collar as she gave the sweetest little smile and said, "I trust you completely, Nick."

Nick felt the weight that had been chained around his heart all evening suddenly slip away at those last few words. Words no other mammal had ever spoken to him, his entire life. Every doubt the chief raised vanished in an instant, and once more the mental barriers he had thrown up to try and keep Judy at an emotional distance crumbled away to leave just him, Nicholas Wilde, tenderly holding the one mammal who had complete faith in him, beyond all doubt and reproach. The gaze he fixed on her face was filled with wonder, and the unguarded smile she gave him back told him he had nothing to fear from simply being himself in front of her.

' _How can she so completely tear down my walls like that?'_ he mused as he leaned in and softly pressed his lips to hers.

The act came so naturally that he didn't even realize what he was doing until their lips were already touching, eliciting a soft gasp from the bunny. She didn't immediately kiss him back, but neither did she tense up or pull away as he worked his mouth tenderly against hers, only her paws on his bared collar gripping his fur a little tighter.

' _What am I doing?'_ came a hazily distant thought as he parted from her, their noses still touching and a soft sigh leaving his lips to tickle the fur of her chin, causing her to shiver against him. Half-lidded eyes of green and violet gazed at each-other from across the small divide between them.

Then she leaned forwards to purposefully close her mouth over his, he pressed forward against her, and their lips gently connected to share their first true kiss.

Small paws at rest on his collar began to snake their way up through his fur, curling around to his scruff with one and up to tug at his ears with the other. Her touches caused a pleased huff to escape from the vulpine's lips straight into hers, laying open siege to his awareness with a myriad of wonderful new sensations. His paws, resting on her back, tensed and dug dull claws into bared grey fur as her shirt rode up slightly, anchoring themselves lest they accidentally slipped again. The pricks against her flesh caused the bunny to gasp, pushing her body tighter against his torso and breathing more of her fox in with each involuntary intake. All the while, their mouths continued to explore one-another, her smaller tongue dancing around his with each tentative intrusion into the delicate confines of her muzzle.

As the initial surge of adrenaline and passion began to ebb, a trembling Judy slowly parted her lips from Nick's, their bodies and limbs remaining thoroughly entangled with one another.

Several seconds stretched out as they simply held each-other in that position, faces flushed and lips tingling, their ragged breaths the only sound in the enclosed space. Finally, she found her voice again.

"…I've wanted you to do that to me for so long," she confessed in a tremulous whisper, touching her nose to his, trying in vain to bring her excited trembling under control.

"Me too," he finally admitted, no longer trying to deny his desires and relaxing his paws slightly to caress the small of her back beneath her shirt. With some effort, he managed to smirk, though the expression felt oddly alien to him right now.

"Was it worth the wait?" he murmured, his whiskers batting against hers with each syllable.

Judy rocked on her toes slightly, causing her body to rub ever-so-slightly against his upper torso as she shakily breathed, "A-ask me again in a minute…"

She closed the distance again, latching her mouth onto his for a brief kiss, then trailing excited little pecks along the dark line of his smirk towards one cheek, then nuzzling under his chin and repeating the action in reverse on the other side, ending back where she started and once more locking lips with him. All the while, her paws continued to knead at his scruff and scalp, while his claws trailed up her spine to caress along the bare fur along her shoulder blades, holding the trembling little bunny tightly as their intimacy deepened.

Her senses seemed to be exploding as she tried to soak in every little part of him, his lips, his fur, his warmth, his scent, his breath… Were it not for his currently arms cradled around her back, her knees would have given out already as they wobbled precariously against his body. It was all far more than she had expected, but she kept pushing for more of him, letting her emotions finally run completely free. It quickly became more than she could handle though, and as she continued to desperately kiss her fox her trembling grew more noticeable and her next soft gasp morphed into a quiet sob. Her body visibly shook as another sob tore out of her lips, then another. Her paws dug into his fur, pricking at his flesh with sharp, tiny claws, trying to hold onto him as her lips faltered and fell away in another, much louder sob, tears beginning to trickle from her eyes, her whole form quivering in his grasp.

"Judy… shh, hey…." came an apprehensive voice from the male, a pang of alarm running through him as he tried to calm the trembling mammal in his grasp. His only reward was another stricken sob from the bunny in his arms. He nuzzled her cheek softly and just held her for several moments, cradling her sobbing form in a loving, tender embrace.

"Am I that bad of a kisser?" he asked in a soft, playful tone, earning a softer sob and a head shake.

"You can be honest. It IS my first time kissing a bunny, after all," he whispered, planting a small kiss on her nose, before opening his eyes wider in mock surprise and exclaiming. "Oh no, I don't still have bug breath, do I? I _swear_ I brushed my teeth after lunch!"

That finally drew out a giggle from the bunny and she rubbed at her tear stained face with one paw, keeping the other curled around his neck.

"I'm sorry, Nick," she hiccuped, forcing herself to take slower breaths. "You've made me so happy today, and now you've made one of my wildest dreams come true – no pun intended – and I'm so very, very happy, but all I can do to show it is… is to start crying like a dumb, emotional bunny!"

Admitting that nearly set her off crying again, until a large paw cupped her cheek, stroking it tenderly and directing her gaze back to his face.

"Hey. You have _nothing_ to apologize for, Fluff. I love how emotional you are," he murmured, nearly tripping over his tongue as _that word_ left his lips before he could censor himself.

"Nick…" came a small whimper, halfway between tears and joy as she threw herself onto his lips again for another eager kiss, stopping only to let one last involuntary sob clear her throat.

Noses touching, Nick couldn't help adding. "…and also how dumb you are."

Thump.

"Ow. Right on a bruise…." he complained melodramatically.

"Deserve it. Jerk," she mumbled through a poorly concealed smile, before kissing him again.

"What? I think it's cute..." he quipped, between kisses.

"Niiick," she whimpered softly against his lips, kissing him again, and again, and again, each time trying to silently convey the one and only thought she could hold onto right now.

' _I love you too.'_

As they continued to let their passions flow in an endless stream of kisses and tender caresses, she found herself willfully and irrevocably binding her naïve, romantic heart to his.

* * *

A dark shape blended almost perfectly into the shadows of the stairwell leading up to the 'Big Booth', its one good eye observing the scene within with a mixture of shock and delight. Manchas silently thanked his luck – or perhaps their luck – that he had thought to peek through the crack before knocking and entering; he would not have forgiven himself for interrupting such a moment.

" _El amor todo lo puede_ ," he purred romantically, giving a contented sigh at having been witness to their love finding a way to blossom. He did not linger too long though, not wishing to invade their privacy further, and silently headed back down the stairs with the drinks tray still in hand. He was sure they would call for him again if they still required refreshments, but he strongly suspected he would not be hearing from them for quite some time.

* * *

 _ **A/N: End of Fluff!**_

" _ **Now Kiss."**_

 _ **And so they did.**_

 _ **So where do they go from here? Tune in next week to find out! Just remember this story is rated T. And no, that's not T for Teasing!**_

 _ **If you're enjoying this so far, please be sure to leave a review saying why. If you aren't enjoying it, also leave a review saying why! Constructive feedback is how we improve :)**_

 _ **I endeavor to reply to all reviews asap, but if you're posting as a guest, just know in advance that I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts, as well as any constructive feedback you may have!**_

" _ **El amor todo lo puede" = "Love, it is capable of everything."**_

 _ **fun fact: Manchas' nickname here (Smudges) comes from the meaning of "Manchas" in Spanish. It literally means Smudges.**_

 _ **See you all next week!**_

 _ **Edit: killed a bunch of typos, grammar, and wording issues. Also toned down Judy's aggression towards Nick. It was pointed out (quite rightly) that this is out of character, and has now been corrected. Lastly, I -completely- forgot about the flower after it was plucked! It now happily sits on the bunny's brow, where I had intended it to go all along!**_


	10. Chapter 10: When It Rains

_**I reworked a few details from the previous chapter, so it may be worth your while to go back and reread it. However, the only notable change being carried forwards is that they brought the flower up into the Big Booth with them, and Judy ended up wearing it tucked behind her ear. Because gosh darn it, she may be cute, but WE CAN GO CUTER.**_

 _ **I also briefly considered retconning some chocolate into the previous chapter.**_

 _ **But then I ate it all.**_

 _ **Incoming Fluff!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 10: When It Rains**

The rest of the evening passed in a blur, with neither of them fully regaining their wits after the first kiss. Judy dimly remembered a breathless Nick asking if she wanted to get some fresh air, and her agreeing to that. She remembered them vacating the booth quickly, and she definitely remembered picking up the purple flower - the same which Nick had plucked earlier in the night - which at some point had been knocked to the floor, most likely during their last… exchange. They descended to the bar, made their excuses to Manchas, who invited them to return whenever they liked, and then they left.

Outside, Nick took the lead, briefly browsing the map on his phone to find a route back to his apartment that avoided the busy street next to them. The last thing they wanted right now was to get caught up in the bustle of Cloud Alley again, especially seeing as it had only gotten busier as the night wore on. The route they wound up taking was a pedestrian path that ran right along the edge of The Rainbow River, which flowed westwards from Rainbow Falls and cut through the middle of the district.

They walked along the river in silence, elbow to elbow but not touching, each currently wrapped in his or her own thoughts. Nick strolled along, staring intently at the river with a distant look, his paws curled behind his back, trying to use that keen mind of his to piece together what had just happened, but none of the pieces of this particular puzzle seemed to fit. Judy, meanwhile, was clutching the purple crocus close to her chest as she walked, studying it intently as if it would yield up the answers to the new questions that were now gripping her.

Before either of them knew it they had reached the last bridge before the falls, and were halfway across when Nick finally snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the bunny. She had fallen a few steps behind at that point and, seeing him come to a sudden stop, slowly came to a halt standing right in front of him, an expectant look on her face as he gazed back at her. For a while the only sound was the rippling of the river below them and the dull roar of the waterfall a short distance upstream, its descent obscured in a thick cloud of mist that hung over the river.

"So…" he started nervously, her ears instinctively swiveling upwards to listen to him, "This night took a pretty interesting turn, huh?"

Judy blinked slowly as she took a half step towards him. "Interesting is one word for it," she said with a hint of a smile.

He responded by reaching out and gently cupping her shoulders. "No regrets?"

"None so far," she replied, smiling a little wider now as she reached up and placed her paws in the center of his chest, the flower still clenched in one paw. "But, I am wondering one thing…."

"What's that?" he asked, daring to reach across and stroke her cheek.

"What do we call ourselves now?" she asked, a concerned look in her eyes.

"Well, you can call me Nick," he teased.

"Nick…."

"That's the spirit."

"Come on, I'm being serious," she said, pouting at him crossly.

Nick dropped his paw from her cheek, his gaze falling as well as he shook his head. "Honestly, Fluff, I'm not sure. This is all new ground for me, and I don't want to rush to call it anything."

"Oh," she said, her ears drooping, "Well, at the very least, we're still friends, right?"

"Best friends, and maybe- no, _definitely_ more," he stated, drawing her to his chest and stroking her ears, an unguarded smile on his lips. "We're going to figure this out together, I promise."

She looked up at him, her heart soaring as she met his green eyes again and saw that smile. ' _That darn smile,'_ she thought.

"I'm looking forward to it," she purred, unconsciously raising up on her toes to bring her face closer to his.

His breath caught as he felt her move closer, reminding him of their moment on Acacia Street earlier today. As before, he felt that magnetism pulling him towards her, but this time he didn't fight it, letting it pull him close enough to touch noses with her, and murmur, "Beautiful bunny."

Judy felt her cheeks flush with the compliment, and she repaid it with a soft kiss, her tail wiggling happily as she leaned into him and he kissed back. As their lips parted, she had just enough breath left to whisper a reply, "Handsome fox."

"I knew you'd admit it some day." he teased, their noses still touching as he caressed her back.

Judy rolled her eyes and-

 _KRAK-OOOOOM._

The pair leapt into each-other's arms in fright as an explosively loud sound resonated through the air.

"The heck?" exclaimed Judy, "Was that thunder?"

As if to answer her, the skies opened up and heavy raindrops started to patter down around them on the wooden bridge and splashing noisily of the roiling water below. A few found their mark squarely on top of her muzzle, causing her nose to wrinkle.

"Come on, we've gotta get outta here," said Nick, grabbing her firmly by the paw and hustling northwards towards his apartment.

"What's going on? The rain's not due for another twenty minutes!"

"It's not the sprinklers, Fluff," he called over the sounds of heavy rain around them, "It's an actual thunderstorm. There'll be flash flooding if the drains back up so we've gotta get to shelter quick."

She was confused, but let herself be lead for the time being. Nick whisked her along the street, dodging the rapidly growing puddles and several large mammals who were stampeding back to their own places of safety.

Moments later they were standing in the lobby of Sequoia Towers, utterly drenched through to their fur. Someone had erected a barrier of sandbags across the front entrance, and the shopkeepers were also barricading the front of the their shops. Mercifully, the roof of the atrium was enclosed in glass, so no rain was getting in that way, and the only puddles inside the building here those that had already accumulated there from the humidity.

"Trust the forecast to be wrong, as usual," Nick grumbled, swiping across his phone and looking at the weather report for today. Thankfully the device was waterproof, at least. "Come on, let's get upstairs and dried off."

"Y-you sure?" she asked uncertainly. "I could just wait for the storm to pass and then head home…."

Nick shook his head apologetically. "Trains will be out of service until the morning, sky trams halted, dirigibles only fly in the daytime, and the roads are going to be backed up all the way to Ficus Grove. Afraid you're stuck here until morning, Fluff…."

She blushed at the thought of spending the night in Nick's apartment. Sure, she had already technically slept there once already, but that was special circumstances and she hadn't kissed him before then. She felt trepidation at the idea, but the greater part of her delighted in the thought of not having to part from him.

"Alright, I guess I can bunk down on the floor, or something," she suggested, earning a horrified look from the fox.

"Let's go with _or something_ ," he replied, "You take the bed, I'll take the floor."

She opened her mouth to protest, but a single digit from his paw laid over her lips hushed her.

"As your host, I insist," he added, with a hint of smugness.

"Oh, fine…." she relented, resisting the urge to suggest that they both share the bed. Now that there was suddenly something _real_ between them, she didn't want to do anything to mess it up. Besides, his bed _was_ rather comfy, so if he insisted, who was she to disagree? Feeling pleased with this resolution, she wrapped her soggy frame around his arm and smiled broadly while leaning her head against him.

Nick felt his heart skip at the sudden contact, and it didn't help that they were both still soaked, causing him to more keenly feel the warmth of her body pressed against him. He was grateful that, for the second time today, his ground-floor neighbors were too distracted to observe him crossing the lobby with a bunny on his arm, and they made it to the far side without incident. The good elevator answered their call - another piece of good karma - and they stepped in and pressed the button for his floor.

As the elevator doors closed, he became keenly aware of being in a confined space with his bunny. The dampness of her fur amplified her scent, and before he could stop himself, he leaned down, wrapped his arms warmly around her, and nuzzled the top of her head. Judy responded by cuddling against him and pressing her nose against his chest through his wet shirt, hugging him around the waist. They simply held one-another like that for the duration of the ride, breathing in the scent of the other mammal's fur and sharing their warmth.

It took them a few seconds to realize the door had dinged and was standing open waiting for them to disembark on the fifth floor. Once more taking her paw in his, Nick lead them around the corridor to his apartment, stopping outside the door. He slid the key into his door and thanked his lucky stars as it worked the first time. Pushing the door ajar, he turned back to Judy, who was standing just opposite.

"Well, this is me," he said with a playful smirk, "So very kind of you to walk me home..."

She rolled her eyes at his theatrics and pushed past him him into the apartment, turning to drop her phone, key and wallet on the desk by the door, along with the purple crocus which had miraculously survived the jaunt through the rain and had not yet begun to wither.

As he walked in after her, Nick pressed the dimmer switch on the wall to turn on the lights, adjusting the brightness to a level that was just tolerable for him, before closing and locking the door. The room was as they had left it, curtains drawn, and the bed disheveled with Nick's uniform strewn on top of the sheets.

"You know," she mumbled, standing in the middle of the room, her arms crossed, "I really did have this plan in my head to walk you back, just to make sure you were still okay after feeling so down, and after the drinks, and that conversation we had, and…." She trailed off, blushing at the fresh memory of their first kiss.

"Such a gentlemammal. My hero," he teased, stepping in to closer to her.

"Oh, stop it," she grumbled, making to give him a light, playful shove, but her paws simply winding up pressed to his damp chest.

His paws instinctively curled around her own and held them against him as he leaned down to gently steal a kiss from her lips. She melted into him, letting him lead for the moment. The instant he tried to draw back though, she slipped her paws from his grasp and threw her arms around his neck to pull him in for another.

They sallied back and forth between kissing and being kissed, until Nick finally broke the contact, his voice strained as he said, "We should probably stop…."

"I don't want to," she whispered, gazing up at him with a determined look.

"Me neither, but… it's been a very long, trying day, and we've both been drinking," he explained, stroking her sides, "And if… _when_ we go further, I want it to be for the right reasons, not because we got carried away…."

She nodded thoughtfully, accepting the logic of his argument. She did feel a tinge of disappointment, of course, but it was easy enough to ignore when compared to the immense feeling of reassurance his words gave her. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what the 'right reasons' were.

"Hey, you okay, Fluff? You're shivering," he remarked.

Judy blinked up at him in surprise, and realized that she was indeed starting to tremble as the cold leached into her soaked fur.

"Oh, yeah, it's a bit drafty in here…."

"Right, yes, of course," he said, taking a step away from her, "Let me find something for you to wear and I'll grab you a towel."

Nick turned and proceeded to rifle through the rack of clothes at the foot of his bed, producing a pink T-shirt with the words _JUST ZOO IT_ in white letters on the front, accompanied by four white claw marks that each curled in identical tick-shapes. Judy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the color.

" _Please_ tell me there's a good story behind you and that shirt," she said with a smirk, while crossing her arms to retain some heat.

"Hey, can't a guy just like wearing pink?" he countered as he walked past her towards the bathroom. "And okay, yes, I _might_ have bought it for a hustle a long time ago, and probably only wore it once or twice, but still…."

She giggled at his admission, and waited patiently for him to return with a towel for her. Her mind took advantage of the lull in their conversation to leap back to the question of his reasons for waiting, and she stood there ruminating on that mystery, all the while shivering to stay warm.

He returned shortly with a pair of green towels that were just the right size for him, which meant they were big enough for her to comfortably use as a blanket. He handed one to her and kept the second for himself. He grabbed some underclothes from a pile by the rack then said, "I'm gonna go dry off and change in the bathroom…."

"Hey, Nick, Is it true foxes mate for life?" she blurted out, catching him off guard.

"Heh, well if that were true, then my father would still be around," he replied without thinking.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know," she said apologetically.

"Not many mammals do," he said dismissively, "As for the mating for life thing? That's more of an old wives' tale, but some of us do at least try to live up to it."

He paused for a moment before smirking and turning the question back on her, "Why? Do _bunnies_ mate for life?"

"Well, I don't know about city bunnies," she cautiously replied, while holding the towel to her chest, "but Bunnyburrow bunnies usually do. You almost never hear about divorces out there."

His lips curled up in a wide grin and said, "Oh I wasn't talking about marriage, Fluff…."

"Oh," was all she initially managed to say as her ears shot upright, turning bright red in embarrassment. Just as he was about to revel in teasing her further though, her expression flipped to mirror the sly smirk he always gave her. "Well, they don't call us bunnies _prolific_ for nothing, you know…."

Nick's face was a picture of shock, caught off guard by the unusually forward remark. Unsure how to respond, he simply replied, "I see! Well, I'm just going to go dry myself off now…."

"Me too," mumbled a now thoroughly abashed Judy, as she turned and proceeded to towel off her ears. A few seconds later, she heard the bathroom door click and chanced a look over her shoulder to see that she was indeed alone in Nick's room.

"Dumb bunny," she chided herself, stripping out of her soaked garments and stashing them to one side. She wrapped herself up in the towel and sat on the bed, methodically drying herself from top to tail, occasionally casting embarrassed glances towards the bathroom door, half-afraid Nick would walk in on her. The other half….

No, he had been clear that he wouldn't try to take advantage, and that if anything happened it would only happen for the right reasons, whatever those were. Despite her usually impatient nature, she felt like this was something she could be patient for, though. After all, what he had said _felt_ right and it gave her a feeling of contentment. And so, at least for now, she settled for that.

A faint childhood memory came back to her involving her parents and suggesting that she 'settle'. Something about how if she wanted to be happy, she had to settle and not pursue her dreams? But, she was already achieving her dreams, and she had met a male who supported and shared in that dream. So why _couldn't_ she pursue her dream AND settle down with him?

She blushed as she realized where her line of thought was taking her and refocused her efforts on drying off instead.

Meanwhile, Nick stood in the cramped space of the bathroom, carefully toweling down his damp fur, having stripped bare and hung his wet shirt and trousers over the shower curtain line. He was trying to keep his mind clear of troubling thoughts, but the question about foxes and mating had thrown him. He chided himself for mentioning his father. Yes, John Wilde had walked out on his family a long time ago, and that was a sore spot for Nick, but not one that rankled much nowadays.

What really pricked at his conscience though was how he had fallen into doing similar things himself in the name of hustling. He remembered the females he had been romantic with and then conned, and a fresh wave of guilt hit him. He would never do something like that to Judy, of course, but pretty much all of his experience of being in relationships had been based on deceptions, usually with him as the deceiver. Usually.

He pushed down those thoughts and focused on the one female who truly mattered to him now. He would do right by her, no matter what it took. He would be completely open and honest with her. And if that meant accepting a label for their evolving relationship, then sure, he could do that for her. Maybe boyfriend and girlfriend? It sounded so cheesy, though. Lovers? That might be jumping the gun a little. Romantic partners? Sounded like a business arrangement. He sighed and shook his head. He'd talk about it with Judy, and they'd figure it out together.

Satisfied that he was as dry as he was going to get, he tossed the towel on the rack and pulled his underclothes on, before knocking on the door.

"Carrots?" he called out, but receiving no response.

"Is it safe for me to come out?" he asked, again receiving no response.

Shrugging, he slowly opened the door, cautiously peeking through the crack to try and locate the bunny, and hoping not to surprise her.

He was the one surprised when he spotted her curled up in the bed, fast asleep. He must have taken longer than he realized in the bathroom, because she had dried off, slipped into the pink tee and wrapped herself in his blanket before dozing off. He chuckled softly and stepped quietly into the room, picking up her damp, discarded items of clothing and the towel and carefully hanging them up to dry, before moving to the side of the bed.

Judy was fast asleep and, try as he might to just leave her be, he couldn't help but sit for a little while and watch her snoring softly into his pillow. ' _I really am lucky to have you in my life, Fluff,'_ he thought, reaching over to stroke her ears gently. She purred happily in her sleep and nuzzled his pillow as he kept up his gentle caresses for half a minute. Eventually he had to part from her, though; there was a spare sleeping bag stored under the bed and he would be comfortable enough sleeping on that for tonight.

"Nick…." a sleepy voice called to him from the bed, "It's cold…."

He wasn't sure if she was awake or just talking in her sleep, but he could clearly see her shivering, even under the blanket. He couldn't just leave her like that and risk her getting ill, but he didn't have any spare blankets to give her either. That only left him with one choice.

As gently as he could, he lay down on the bed between her and the wall and curled up beside her, his body on top of the blankets and hers under it. His head fit on the pillow just above hers, and his arm draped easily over her smaller form, surrounding him with his warmth. In moments, the bunny's shivering had stopped, and her breath was coming in the slow, steady rhythm of sleep.

A contented sigh escaped his lips as he cuddled Judy into his chest on his bed for the second time that day. He didn't know what the future held for them, but lying there in that bed, sharing his warmth with the mammal he knew he loved, he realized he was willing to do anything to make their relationship work. To make her happy. Soon enough, he drifted off into his own dreams, and the most restful, peaceful sleep of his life.

* * *

Judy woke with a start. Her mind was groggy and her senses addled with sleep, but she was almost certain she was back in her bed in The Grand Pangolin Arms, alone. She could only remember snippets of this night's dream about Nick, and she fought to retain them in her memory. They had their first successful patrol together, and then she had gone to his apartment, and he had saved her from falling out of a window, then they went on a wonderful date where they kissed endlessly, then went back to his apartment, and….

And then she had woken up.

She wanted to scream and kick the pillows and cry her eyes out, but her body felt too heavy to move. Instead she just lay there and sobbed quietly to herself. She'd had these dreams almost every night, sometimes intensely and other nights less so, but this was the most vivid one yet. It felt too real, and that only made the feeling now all the more bitter.

Sullenly, she turned to face the wall next to her bed, and blinked into the room that stretched out in front of her instead. She could make out the shapes of a table and chair, _two_ doors, and a heavily curtained window? That wasn't right. She blinked and tried to shake the fog from her mind. She _was_ in her bed, wasn't she? No, there were no plush toys that she could see. She tried to turn, but her body still felt too heavy. No, that wasn't right either, something heavy was pinning her! And then that _heavy thing_ spoke.

"Hey, Carrots, you okay?" it whispered in a familiar voice, lifting the arm that was draped across her and unpinning her.

Tears welled in her eyes and a happy sob escaped her lips as her sleep-addled mind finally discerned her reality. No she was not in her apartment, she was exactly where she wanted to be, where she dreamed of being, in the arms of the mammal whom she knew she loved.

"Judy?" that soft voice in her ears insisted, a familiar paw gripping and gently stroking her shoulder.

She turned to greet that wonderful, reassuring voice, and buried her face into Nick's shirt, breathing his scent deeply and calming herself.

"I'm fine," she whispered, "Just a bad dream, sort of."

"Want to talk about it?" he asked, trying not to sound half-asleep himself.

She shook her head, then realized he might not be able to see her movement and whispered, "Could you just… hold me for a bit? Until I fall asleep again?"

She didn't hear another word from the fox, but his arm immediately returned to pull her closely to his chest in a reassuring embrace. She sighed happily and snuggled in, feeling the blanket rustle between them.

This felt like pure bliss, and she idly wondered whether she could get away with calling them both in ill for their next shift just so they could spend the day like this, just holding each other. ' _No, That would be way too suspicious,'_ she admitted. Besides, they had a nosy buffalo to prove wrong about her fox, and slacking off on their second day would not help.

She had tucked her phone under the pillow, and it still had enough charge to guarantee her alarm going off just after sunrise. She hoped Nick wouldn't mind the alarm, but it was a bit late to warn him now. Her internal clock told her she still had a few hours until then, at least, and they wouldn't need to be in the bullpen until 8:30am, so she had plenty of time to get to the precinct, take a shower, change back into her uniform and have breakfast somewhere along the way. She'd ask Nick about that; maybe he knew a good place.

' _Okay, good plan. Now back to the snuggles.'_

She let out a contented little sigh as she nuzzled into Nick's chest and allowed her mind to drift. Just a few more hours. They could get away with just a few more blissful hours of this. It all felt too right, and she was struck with the urge to steal a kiss from her handsome fox.

"Nick?" she whispered up at him, receiving no response but his steady breathing. He had already fallen back asleep.

Feeling a little daring, she leaned up and kissed him softly on the chin. When that got no reaction, she leaned a little further to kiss his cheek, and then further to kiss the corner of his mouth. That last earned a quiet snort and a whimper from the vulpine, and she retreated back to the safety and comfort of his embrace, once more tucking her head under his chin.

Her heart was racing and she had a feeling of elation, but she resisted the temptation to go further and risk waking him. He needed his rest; they both needed rest. A wave of tiredness crashed over her then, and she let it take her as she settled in with her partner, content in the knowledge that whatever challenges this city had to throw at them, they would be facing it together.

* * *

 _ **A/N: End of fluff!**_

 _ **And... End of Day One!**_

 _ **My goodness, it only took us ten chapters to get through their first official day as partners! The pace will start to pick up from here on out, though, and we might even get something actually resembling a plot! A fluff-ridden plot, to be sure, but plot nonetheless!**_

 _ **If you are enjoying this story, please be sure to give it a review, a follow, and a favorite (if you are so inclined). I like these things almost as much as I like chocolate, which you are also welcomed to give.**_

 _ **See you next week!**_


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